Immortelle
by AiraEve
Summary: Sakura posseses a secret demon called Naiteki and shuts herself off from people. But, when her teammates start getting too close, what will she do? A little OOC. SasuSakuSai, KabuHinaNaru.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me.

**Author's Note:** Naiteki means "inner", so connect it with Sakura and you'll get the picture. Oh yeah, I'm not all too good with the –chan or –kun thing so forgive me if I use them incorrectly or not enough. Kudos to whoever figures out the song. It's a really beautiful song if you listen to it and though it wasn't in English, I thought the meaning and voice was fitting for the story.

"La" talking

'_La_' thinking

'**_La_**' inner Sakura

* * *

**Chapter One**

A graceful figure swayed sensuously on the ancient wooden stage, her rosy lips produced such a magnificent vibrato that the other form in the theater couldn't help but gape in awe from her spot at the grand piano, playing musicall accompaniment for the singer. Line after line the figure sang in bel canto, not a single note was off-key or flat. Everything was just simply _divine_. Her hips danced smoothly to the beat and it was enough to entice even the happiest married man.

Emotions poured from the lithe frame, unbarred and raw. This was a side she never let anyone see, this was the side of her that pained in rejection. She incorporated her soul into the song, captivating its true essence and the pianist's full attention. The singer tuned out every other disturbance, focusing mainly on the song at hand.

Above the stage in the upper lofts two frames stood staring down at the girl, admiring her with solemn eyes. One had his arm resting on the bridge's rail, enchanted by her graceful movements. The other had his eyes closed, partaking in her mesmerizing voice.

"My," murmured the one listening, "her voice is magnificent. The way she controls the rhythm and tone is superb."

His partner nodded in approval. "Mm, and her movements are fluid as well."

"Do you think she will make a good addition to Sound?"

"Think?" he scoffed, "I **know** she will. We just have to find a way to charm her over to our side. She has not many friends, so this will be fairly easy."

The pair grinned maliciously, ominously watching the innocent girl underneath them.

Slowly, she blended from a strong, belting voice to a sweet, innocent head voice, signaling that the end of the song was near.

Finally, in one final breath, the last lines of the lyrics left her lips as she closed the song with a lovely ending, fading into the still air. She opened her eyes, content that the song was over; her raging emotions emptied and taken care of. The other figure finished up her accompaniment on the piano and stood up, clapping relentlessly.

"Oh, brava! Brava, Saku-chan, brava!" Hinata left her place at the elderly grand piano and joined Sakura on the stage, embracing her in a tight hug. "That was beautiful!" The Hyuuga girl did not stutter when it came to her closest friend, having known her for a good nine years.

"Hina-chan," the singer smiled, slightly embarrassed, "You always say that. It's nothing really, just a hobby I like to do."

"No, Saku-chan, you have a wonderful voice! You should sing in front of more people."

Sakura stooped down to pick up her gray hoodie but froze, her fingers twitching ever so slightly. Her mood instantly darkened by several degrees at the mere mention of associating with more people. "Hina-chan, you know I can't."

"O-Oh…" Hinata only stuttered around Sakura when she was sad or distraught. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

Sakura's face softened at her timid antics. "Forgive me, Hina-chan. It's just that I can't let anyone else get close to me, that's all. It's far too dangerous."

"No it's not," protested the slender little Hyuuga, "I know you, Sakura Haruno. You are the sweetest, most unselfish, talented person I've ever met. You're not some bloodthirsty monster that's going to let loose and kill someone if they even say 'hi' to you."

"Yeah, well, the Naiteki says otherwise." Sakura zipped up her hoodie and replaced a pair of baggy gi pants over her skimpy, spandex shorts. She wore this attire to conceal her toned figure, lest she attract some male into "stalking" her or coming too close to her. Hinata, the Hokage, and only a **few** select others knew of the Naiteki's existence inside Sakura. It was because Naiteki was peaceful when left alone; however if the villagers provoked her then a massacre would be unleashed, therefore it was better if the Konoha stayed blissfully unaware.

'**_Oi, Saku-chan!_**' a miniature Sakura protested inside the kunoichi's head. '**_You make me sound like such a meanie! All I want to do is just have a little fun now and then, but you've always got to have such a stick up your butt._**' Naiteki started to get her groove on which only made Sakura gag in disgust.

'_Oh please, you getting your "groove" on is like a cow rolling on the grass_.'

Naiteki was offended. '**_Psh, well whatever I look like when I dance is how you look like! Ever thought about that? Well now you know that you look like a cow too! Bleh!_**'

Sakura snickered, enjoying the conversation. Sure Naiteki had prevented her from making too many friends, but it was only for her own good. Naiteki (or inner Sakura) was actually a gentle, mischievous demon; however, she was easily influenced. Emotions were the dominant character in her, so whatever Sakura felt then Naiteki would feel it a ten times more intense. The more emotionally tense Sakura got, then the crazier Inner Sakura would get, and before long she would take over her container's body and cause mass destruction. For that reason, Sakura would often hide her emotions and train incessantly to make sure she didn't have an anxiety attack in battle and accidentally let Naiteki out.

Sometimes her emotions would build up to a point where she just had to do something to ease them. One activity she did to relieve emotions was sing.

"Um, Saku-chan?" Hinata's squeaky voice interrupted the two. Or one. "Should we head back to class now? I mean I would love to stay here and hear you sing some more, but I'm scared Iruka-sensei will punish us."

"Hm? Oh, oh yeah," Sakura replied, snapping out of her thoughts. "Wait, I'm almost ready."

She placed a pair of fake glasses over her eyes, just to further repel boys. The hoodie already covered all of her pink tresses so there was no need to fret over them. Plus, as an added bonus, the hoodie was just big enough to provide shadow over most of her face which concealing her appearance more.

"Saku-chan, I don't understand why you wear such an ugly outfit. I've seen your closet, there are tons of pretty clothes in there."

"**_Yeah! Talk about fashion faux-pas. I can't believe I chose a container with such horrid fashion sense!_**"

Sakura mentally stuck her tongue out.

"Hina-chan, you know why I do this. It's to-"

"Drive away anyone who might get close to you, your identity blah, blah… yes Saku-chan, I know."

She pulled away smirking and tapped her chin. Sakura smiled at how well the shy girl knew her. The two of them sat on the dusty stage silently, Hinata feeling absolutely chipper and Sakura content as she was. Their legs dangled over the stage's side, staring off into the empty mass of raggedy seats. The small moment of peace was abruptly ruined when two figures stormed into the old theater and slammed the creaking door behind them quite violently.

"Hinata!"

Oh joy.

It was Hinata's elder cousin, Neji, of the Branch House. And look, he brought his self-centered buddy Sasuke with him! The cold bad boy of Konoha whom every girl loved and every guy was jealous of. Next to him was his number one fan girl: Ino Yamanaka, and her best friend Nara Shikamaru who was dragged reluctantly into the group. Sakura instantly switched from her happy place to the mean geek everyone thought she was at school.

"Hinata, you are supposed to remain on school grounds! Not wander off with this…loser."

Hinata bit her lip anxiously, fidgeting with her pale fingers. "B-But Neji-sama, I-I was just-"

"No buts Hinata!" he yelled at her from his position near the doorway. "Your father told me to watch you always, no matter how much I or you don't want it. If you weren't so weak then he'd probably let you run around by yourself."

"Quiet, Hyuuga," Sakura answered him coolly, "you're going to break this whole place down. For your information, she was on school grounds- this is the old music hall."

Neji looked at her irritably, "Who are you to talk? Whoever you are, you dragged her over here, so this is your fault."

"I'm her friend," Sakura straightened and dusted off her baggy clothes, "Is she not allowed to hang out with her friends, either? I see you with your huge group of preps, 80 of the time not giving a damn where Hinata is."

Neji twitched, a bit taken aback at her last statement. He opened his mouth to retort but Sasuke beat him to it.

"Shut it," Sasuke said, actually opening his mouth for once. "Whatever your name is, if you hadn't taken Hinata here in the first place then we wouldn't have to do this."

"Ooh," purred Ino, "you tell him Sasuke-kun!" She wrapped her arms around his neck which led him to glare at her in distaste and pry her off.

'**_Him? She called us a 'he'! Why I oughta…!_**' Inner Sakura was busy tearing up a picture of Ino.

Sakura examined them with penetrating eyes, standing stoically herself.

"How troublesome." (A/N: we all know who this is.)

Hinata started fretting over the stressful situation. Neji began to reply to Sakura's earlier accusation but was stopped when a familiar, shrill ringing bounced off the bark-like walls of the hall. It was loud, unwelcome, and pretty much hated by every student: the school bell.

"We'll talk about this later." Neji said, "Go to class now, Hinata."

'**_Hell yeah, we'll talk about this later! Right when I shove my fist in your face! RAWR!_**' Inner Sakura growled and began clawing at the air. Sakura truly detested Neji and Sasuke, and that feeling was only increased exponentially by Naiteki.

Hinata nodded. "H-Hai!" Neji and company departed, heading to their respective room numbers, Ino whining at Sasuke's heels, a spark of jealousy flickering in Shikamaru's eyes. Hinata and Sakura were the only ones left, sighing heavily. They definitely didn't want to repeat that.

"Hina-chan," began Sakura, "you go on ahead. I need to collect my things." Hinata nodded and left. Sakura smiled softly at her friend and bent down to pile all her books back into their sack. She then leapt off the stage and shut the grand piano, covering the "ancient" instrument with a large red cloth.

* * *

Up above, the previous two males retained their positions at the loft and smirked at the kunoichi. They had been surveying the argument with mild curiosity and amusement, somewhat surprised that the kunoichi could switch personalities so fast. One minute she was a fun, happy girl and the other she was the equivalent of a human ice cube. 

"Well, that's all we need to know. You take this back to Orochimaru-sama, so he knows what she looks like. I will stay and deal with her." His orders were precise and crisp. The other teen nodded and departed with speed that rivaled that of Sound, hence the name of their village. The remainder smiled and slowly leapt down the eves of the stage.

* * *

Down below, Sakura was still busy tidying up. Her fingers moved fluently through the process but stopped, hovering inches above the rag. Someone was watching her from the darkness, she could feel his gaze crawl up her skin. Emerald eyes flickered apathetically around the hall. 

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

Footsteps echoed throughout the hall as a boy, presumably fourteen, stepped into the light and allowed it to illuminate his well disciplined physique. Sakura's wide forehead wrinkled a bit in disgust as she took in his sense of fashion. The boy was wearing an uneven sleeved midriff top. Now, Sakura wasn't any fashion queen or anything, but she did have enough sense to know that boys do _not_ wear midriff tops. It's just not right! A fake smile was plastered onto his face. "Pardon me, but I am new here. My name is Sai."

Sakura scoffed. "Well, if you're looking for a tour guide then you've come to the wrong person."

"Oh," Sai's smile flinched, "well you see I wasn't exactly looking for a tour guide. More of a… a _friend_."

The pink haired girl hardened at his words. "Again, you've gone to the wrong person. There are plenty of other people outside, so why don't you go over and find some."

Sai found it increasingly difficult to deal with such a girl. His words came out a bit muffled by his grit teeth. "At least let me walk with you to class."

Emerald eyes glanced at him suspiciously, "No."

She bent down to retrieve her belongings and headed towards the exit. Sai hurriedly followed after her.

* * *

Outside, the two were bickering nonstop, earning a few curious glances from nervous passerbys. 

"Look, why can't you leave me alone!" Sakura shouted over the bustling students.

"Because," Sai fumbled for words,"because, um… Well I need an apology!"

"An apology?" Sakura coughed, "For what?"

"For you being so rude to me."

"What? No!"

"Yes! I deserve one!"

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"_Yes_!"

"Argh," Sakura groaned, "New kid, leave me alone! Dang queer following me around…"

Sai's eyebrow twitched. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Stop following me around, you gay."

Black eyes crinkled in false humor as he kept his fake smile on, despite the rage he felt at the girl. It was a wonder why his jaw muscles hadn't fallen off yet.

"_Gay_? Well if that's how you truly feel about me then I might as well say what I think of you. You are **butt** _ugly_."

Ooh... wrong thing to say.

Sakura stopped and turned around slowly. "Ahem, ugly? Really, tell me something I don't know."

"No wonder that blonde girl mistook you for a man. I couldn't blame her, though, I thought you were a man too until I saw your face. I thought to myself, '_No, no man could possibly be _that_ ugly._'"

Ow. Her pride.

'**_WHAT! No no no no no! He did NOT just call us ugly! Let me at him, I'll beat the crap out of him! Right after I kill Sasuke and Neji too! CHA!_**'

"Well, no man goes around flaunting his abdomen like some prostitute. Honestly, I thought you were just some desperate gay hooker trying to get some customers here at the school."

"At least I'd be able to get some, unlike _you_."

This guy was definitely pushing her buttons. How long would he continue to pester her like this? He just kept hurling asinine comments at her, one after the other and trailing her like some duckling. Worst of all he just kept that insane little smile glued on his face, like some plastic surgeon had permanently stretched his skin to stay that way. God, she was this close to ripping his vocal chords out.

The two walked through the halls of the academy and up the flight of stairs, casually throwing insults and acting like it was nothing at all. Sakura was used to arguing with classmates and bullies, but this was ridiculous!

Sakura was beginning to tire of the boy and unconsciously began clenching and unclenching her fists, all the way to Iruka's classroom.

"Seriously, Sai, I hate you and if I ever see you again then I'll kill you. Got that?" Sakura stated quite bluntly.

Sai didn't have time to respond as she opened the door and slammed it in his face. He was initially shocked, but soonreplaced his fake smile and strode off in the opposite direction to his own class for which he was 15 minutes late.

* * *

"Sakura Haruno!" Iruka reprimanded her while she walked in as if nothing happened. "_Fifteen minutes late_, where in Konoha were you!" 

"Showing a new kid around," grumbled Sakura.

"Miss Haruno, you can't miss class just for that! The dena would have appointed someone for such a task, not let someone just randomly miss class to show a kid around! I mean you have to at least consult me and…" Sakura tuned him out. She really didn't need to hear this. The kunoichi walked over to her seat that Hinata saved for her and plopped down quite unceremoniously.

"Saku-chan," whispered the white-eyed girl, "What took you so long?"

"Oh there was this new kid who kept bothering me and tried to get me to show him the school. I ended up getting into a fight with him."

'**_Yeah, and next time we're going to make sure he _doesn't _come back!_**'

Hinata sweat dropped. "Oh, Saku-chan…. You do realize Iruka-sensei is still talking to you, right?"

Sakura glanced up to the front of the classroom where their teacher was pacing about like an idiot and lecturing a Sakura that wasn't even there anymore.

"Should we-"

"No, no," Sakura hushed her, "Just leave him. This will be funny."

* * *

"Nice going, Sai." The other teen that had been accompanying the artist nin earlier returned from his delivery trip and found out about Sai and Sakura's little…_talk_. "Way to go, call her ugly and get her to tell you that she'll kill you. Wow I couldn't have done it any better, myself." 

"Be quiet, Kabuto. I said I'd take care of it, didn't I? And I-"

"OH yeah, you took care of it greatly. Look, Orochimaru wants Naiteki on _our_ side when he puts the plan into action. Naiteki isn't a force to be reckoned with, and with her power we'll be unstoppable. Her container knows this and she's probably alrleady trained herself to trust nobody."

"Just be patient, Kabuto. She will come to us one way or another." Sai was finishing up a picture in his sketchbook, pretending to take notes.

"Psh, whatever." The said male brushed a silver bang out of his eyes. "Oi, this Anko-sensei is really talkative, isn't she?" He was referring to their sensei, who was busy talking about scary forests, and torture, and all that good stuff. Sometimes even drawing a couple examples on the board.Only one boy seemed unaffected by her excruciating details.

Hesat in front of them, and he seemed to be the center of female attention. One noticeable trait about him was his black hair that was spiked in such a way it resembled a chicken, and piercing onyx eyes that seemed to gaze right through you. Anko's conversation seemed to be of great interest to him.

"Hey, Sai, do you think who I think that is?"

Sai nodded.

"He'd also make a good addition to Sound, right?"

"Well," Sai brushed a couple eraser shavings away,"only one way to find out." He nudged the boy in the arm.

"Psst," Kabuto called. Onyx eyes slowly glanced in their direction.

"What?" the boy questioned, his voice deep and rich.

"Hello, my name's Kabuto, and this is Sai. You seem like a pretty strong ninja, but I bet you'd like to become stronger, huh? See, we come from a pretty strong place, and we can show you some of our tricks. How about we strike up a partnership?"

Sasuke scrutinized the silver haired boy's outstretched hand with such intensity that Kabuto could have sworn the boy was trying to mentally burn a hole through him. After a few moments, Sasuke looked back up into their eyes and stared at those too, like he was searching for any clues that this was all just a trap. Good thing Sai and Kabuto were expert disguisers.

Finally, the Uchiha heir reached up and grasped Kabuto's hand, signaling that he was wiling to accept their offer.

Sai and Kabuto both smirked. This was the beginning of the end for Konoha.

* * *

Whoa nelly that was long! Maybe I should shorten it, hm? Anyway, how was it? No flames please. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me.

**Author's Note:** Naiteki means "inner", so connect it with Sakura and you'll get the picture. Oh yeah, I'm not all too good with the –chan or –kun thing so forgive me if I use them incorrectly or not enough. Kudos to whoever figures out the song.

"La" talking

'_La_' thinking

'**_La_**' inner Sakura

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Genins of all ages were crowded into the main auditorium, socializing or just sitting in one of the seats impatiently. This was where they would finally receive their team assignments and greet their new sensei, and all were exceptionally nervous. Hinata fidgeted with her fingers worriedly and glanced around the room in a jumpy manner.

"S-Saku-chan," Hinatatripped over her words, "D-Do you think we'll be on the same t-team? I mean I-I don't want to be all alone."

"Relax, Hina-chan," Sakura was tossing a kunai around, "You'll be fine. Plus, you might even be on the same team as your _boyfriend_ over there." Sakura winked at a certain blonde haired blue-eyed boy.

Hinata squeaked and burrowed into her puffy jacket, trying so very hard to hide the pink that stained her cheeks. White eyes silently peeked out to observe her love.

Naruto was busy torturing an ant on the seat in front of him, eyes drooping out of severe boredom. The fox child yawned and scratched his tummy, glancing around the room to see what mischief he could cause. Blue eyes landed on a pair of two girls: one hiding cutely in her jacket and another who was sitting attentively with her arms crossed. For some reason he couldn't take his eyes off of the cross-armed one, as if some unexplainable force was drawing his attention to her.

Hinata squealed when she saw Naruto's eyes staring in her direction, shrinking back into her seat even more. Sakura knew he wasn't staring at her but didn't have the heart to tell her so.

"Hey, Hina-chan," whispered the roseate girl, "Why are you hiding? How will he be able to see your beautiful face?"

"R-Really?" Hinata poked her head out, white eyes worriedly scanning Sakura's for reassurance.

"Yeah, if you really want his attention then you shouldn't hide. How will he ever know you're there then?"

Hinata sucked on her lip. "You're right, Saku-chan." The Hyuuga straightened up but made some effort to hide the crimson that stained her cheeks. She refused to even gander at him, lest she lose her nerve yet again.

Naruto broke out of his trance like state and reverted his attention elsewhere, yet his mind kept wandering back to the mysterious female. Only her mouth and chin were visible, but they were so beautiful. She had a cute, pointed chin and pouty, pink lips- with pale skin that looked like it had never been touched by pimples. A warm, fuzzy feeling formed in his stomach. The Uzumaki boy shook his head to clear himself of such thoughts. He then noticed all the attention Sasuke was getting.

For some reason, that made him mad. Naruto stormed over to where the prodigy was lounging, girls flaunting themselves at his feet. "Hey, teme! I've got something to tell you!"

"What do you want, dobe?" Sasuke didn't even bother to look at him.

"Naruto! Go away!" Ino yelled, draping herself on Sasuke. "Can't you see we're busy?"

Sasuke scowled and pushed her off.

"No!" Naruto retaliated, "Not until I- mff!" Somebody behind him accidentally shoved him… right into Sasuke's face.

A chorus of screams radiated throughout the auditorium as every single fan girl witnessed Sasuke lose his first kiss to none other than…Naruto. Hinata was probably the only one screaming in vice versa. Sakura was screaming because she was laughing hysterically and her sides were killing her.

'**_HAHA! OH MY GOSH, IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING! HAHA!_**' Naiteki was having a freaking fiesta. '**_DRINKS ALL AROUND, EVERYONE!_**'

"NO! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS FIRST KISS!" Ino sobbed into Nara's shoulder. He smirked a little in satisfaction.

"GAH!" Naruto shoved Sasuke away and began gagging and spitting. "EW! My mouth, it's been infected!"

Sasuke began coughing and furiously wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "_You're_ infected? Why you- I'll kill you!"

A few of the girls had quieted down and skulked off to a corner to wallow in their woe. In doing so, they allowed Sakura's whoops of laughter to permeate the now semi-quiet atmosphere. Many turned dumbfounded as to why she would be laughing so hard, and half were shocked that she was actually _laughing_.

'_Why is she the only one not crying over the kiss?_' Sasuke wondered. '_Could she be different?_'

"Whoa, that was good!" Sakura smiled broadly, showing every one of her pearly whites. Her grin abruptly mutated into a frown as she saw the crowd staring back at her. '_Shit._'

"What?" she questioned, scrutinizing them with sharp eyes, "What do you want? Never seen a girl laugh before?"

'**_Hey, chill! Come on Saku-chan, relax, maybe it's time you let me out to do some socializing. I can fix this!_**'

'_Aha, no._'

Inner Sakura huffed and stalked off to her own little corner in Sakura's mind.

"Having fun there, Haruno?" Sai sat down next to Sakura and motioned everyone to carry on. The students nodded and resumed their chats, albeit many still felt awkward.

"Sai," Sakura regarded him with unfeeling eyes, "What do you want this time? And didn't I say I would kill you if I ever saw you again?"

The boy didn't even flinch. "I just saved you from social embarrassment, and you thank me by killing me? Why, Sakura-san, that hurts!"

"_Looking_ at you hurts me."

Sai smiled throughout it all which was a sharp contrast to Sakura's obvious, sour expression. She did not want to be next to this homo. Luckily, the door to the auditorium swung open as Iruka stepped up to the front and proceeded to announce the teams. The genins clamored to their seats and quieted down. Sakura let out a breath of relief and switched seats with Hinata, using the commotion as a distraction to Sai. She did not notice the tiny frown that graced his lips.

"Okay, kids, settle down," Iruka prepared his scroll, "As you know, I'll be announcing your teams today. You will train with these teams every morning and perform missions with them, so don't take this lightly. There will be absolutely no team switching, since the great Hokage himself has placed you in this specific order. Now, the teams will be… (A/N: I have no idea what the team numbers are so I'm just making this up) Team One: Murasaki, Nami; Hamura, Rei…"

Hinata crossed her fingers, praying to at least be on Naruto's or Sakura's team. Sakura tried to console the poor girl, getting overworked over something as trivial as this. "Oh come now, Hina-chan. We'll still see each other after the practice sessions and on days off."

"Team Six!" Iruka's voice boomed, "Will be- Inuzuka, Kiba; Aburame, Shino; Yakushi, Kabuto; and Hyuuga, Hinata!" (A/N: Here it's four to a team)

Hinata's face paled considerably as she gripped Sakura forlornly. "I-I'm not on y-yours or N-Naruto-kun's team…" Sakura's face softened and gently ran her friends along her back.

"Oh, it's not that bad Hina-chan. At least you'll make some new friends." Hinata smiled a little. "Well, let's hope my team is agreeable, too."

Maybe she shouldn't have said that.

"Team Seven! Sai; Uchiha, Sasuke; Uzumaki, Naruto; and Haruno, Sakura!"

'**_DAMN!_**'

* * *

"Whay!" Naruto sputtered. Sakura assumed it was a cross between a what and a why. "B-But Iruka-sensei! I refuse to work with the teme! I'll work with Sakura-chan and Sai, but not him!" 

'**_Sakura-chan! Who does he think he is? We don't even know each other!_**'

"Sakura-chan?" Hinata whispered, hurt. She turned her head away from her so-called friend. If he called her that then she must mean a lot to him and for that to happen then they must have been seeing each other in private. The violet-haired girl knew better than to jump to irrational conclusions, but love can blind even the sharpest eye.

"Quiet, Naruto, you get what you get." Iruka continued his announcements, despite the various groans and squeals emitted by the students.

Sasuke glanced at his teammates. He already knew who Naruto was, so there was no need to look at him, not that he'd want to in the first place. Sai... Sasuke had already met himwhen Kabuto and he offered their partnership.

Now Sakura…Sakura was different. He didn't even know the color of her hair or her eyes for that matter. Only her chin and lips were available for his viewing pleasure, and though they were just miniscule portions of her body, it still attracted him. Her lips were a luscious, magenta tint, and her chin was angled in all the right portions. Not too square yet not too round. Unfortunately, she was wearing clothes that were way too big for her, probably to make people think she was scrawny or flat or something. He wasn't a perverted person, but he was just concerned that her attire would interfere with her performance in battle. He deducted that Sakurahad caught him staring at hersince she stuck her tongue out at him.

He pulled back in annoyance and a bit of embarrassment. If that damn hood hadn't been overshadowing her face like that he could have turned away before she saw him. One day he was going to remove that hood and burn it. He added that to his check list alongside "Kill Itachi." Oh. And "Revive Clan."

"Alright kids," Iruka droned on, "You all have a ten minute break to get settled and meet your teammates, then head out to the classrooms that have been set aside for you and you'll meet your sensei there."

"Hai!" the teens nodded in unison.

* * *

Sakura slammed her hands on her ears. Sai, Naruto, and Sasuke had been arguing for the last hour and a half, and their sensei still had yet to show up. She was trained to be as unsocial and mean as possible; however, she never did master the whole 'hiding-your-emotions' thing. 

"Would you stop with the whole dickless thing!" Naruto hollered in Sai's face. "What, are you gay or something? That seems to be the only thing on your mind whenever you open your mouth!"

"You're calling me gay?" Sai snorted, "I'm not the one who kissed emo boy over there."

"You'd better watch your mouth," Sasuke warned, eyes flashing dangerously.

"No, you watch _your_ mouth. If you want this partnership to last, that is."

"Forget it; I'm not working with an idiot like you. Even Naruto is better."

"Partnership? What partnership? How come nobody tells me anything!" Naruto shouted, waving his arms around boisterously.

'_One_.' Sakura counted quietly in her head, inhaling and exhaling.

"I should have known you'd choose that dickless idiot over us. It's obvious that you're the gay, seeing as how you reject every female in the world. You probably enjoyed that kiss, huh" Sai twirled a kunai.

'_Two_.'

"Again with the gayness! Will you ever think about something different? Probably have wild fantasies about Sasuke or something." Naruto groaned, bored out of his mind and irritated as hell.

"Shut up, dobe."

'_Three.'_ Sakura's eyebrow twitched.

"Make me!" the Uzumaki boy stuck his tongue out. A rock flew in his direction. Naruto leapt out of the way.

"Gah! Sakura-chan, duck!" Naruto pointed at the rock that was flying straight at her. Unfortunately, Sakura had been too preoccupied inhaling and exhaling and by the time she got the message, the rock hit her face. She could have easily dodged it, but then again this would give her reason to shout and beat the crap out of them. The stone hit the area where Sakura's eyes would have been. An unexpected sound of glass shattering filled the boys' ears as a few shards of the crystal-like substance dropped onto the floor, followed by a metal frame.

"Look what you made me do, dobe!"

"Shit, Sasuke-teme broke her glasses!" Naruto gaped openly.

"Way to state the obvious, dickless."

"Wait, Sakura-chan wore glasses?"

'_Four_.'

The fact that her fake glasses were broken did not faze Sakura, but the fact that the boys still continued to argue did. The glasses didn't exactly make a difference since her hood always shadowed them, but sadly her hood couldn't shadow everything. Like their incessant talking for instance.

"It's your fault, teme!"

"What, me? No it isn't."

"Okay… Then it was Sai's!"

'**_Fiv- You know what? Fuck this! Let's kill them now!_**'

"SHUT UP!" Sakura bellowed, her chest heaving up and down, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! THIS IS CRAZY! Why can't you all just shut up and wait patiently like I have? You, Sai, need to stop thinking about dicks. You, Naruto, need to shut the fuck up. I don't want to go deaf now! And you, Sasuke, well, I just hate you! I don't get why every girl likes you, you're just ain insensitive bastard who needs to learn to move on!"

"And what if we don't want to?" Sai teased, testing her anger. Sakura smirked.

In the blink of an eye, all three boys yelped and jumped upward. They all shrunk back as far as they could go in the stiff, wooden chairs. Three kunais were lodged dangerously close to where their crotches were, the sharpest side staring threateningly at them. The trio gulped; they weren't ready for castration just yet.

"That," Sakura began, "Is what will happen. Now, be good little boys and just sit down, okay?"

The boys nodded. "Sakura-chan is scary, isn't she?" Sasuke nodded. He was still a little distractedby the magnificent speed at which Sakura threw the kunais. _'I mean, it was totally unexpected, and it was all just a blur.'_ He had never seen a girl move so quickly or gracefully, and the more he contemplated it the more he yearned to spar with her.

Too bad sitting completely still and quiet was physically impossible for Naruto.

"Where is he!" Naruto growled, referring to their sensei. It had been exactly one minute and 37 seconds since Sakura's command to stay quiet. Sakura sighed and shook her head. Sai reluctantly passed five dollars to Sasuke, who smirked victoriously. Naruto was extremely mad that their sensei would be so late and make him suffer with these…these…weirdos. Well, Sakura-chan wasn't that bad, and she seemed pretty cute. Naruto thought of a plan and snickered. He put a chalkboard eraser in between the door.

Sakura didn't mind that Naruto had spoken up, she knew it was coming. She just dind't want Sai or Sasuke to start talking, since they might provoke him into getting into yet another argument.

'**_He's so silly._**' Naiteki thought.

'_Yeah, but at least he'll give us some entertainment when we go on long, boring missions._'

'**_What, are you saying I'm not entertaining enough for ya? I can be entertaining! See, HDFSNGF!_**' Naiteki made a face and Sakura giggled.

"Naruto, a jounin would never fall for that trick." Sasuke stated.

He spoke too soon.

A gloved hand rested on the doorknob and opened it, causing the eraser to fall on his head. The chalky white powder spilled all over the jounin, making him seem like some retarded ghost.

It spoke. "My first impression? I hate you."

'Psh, what kind of jounin is this?' Sasuke thought. Sai sweat dropped and Naruto laughed until his stomach hurt. Sakura's eyes were bulging out of their sockets. C-Could this be who she really thought he was? Her breathing became shortened andemerald eyes shone exctiement. Sai and others lifted an eyebrow, curious of her sudden change in behavior. She kicked the chair out from under her and ran towards the jounin, wrapping her arms around his middle in a crushing hug.

"KAKASHI!" she grinned upwards, getting a few spots of chalk on her nose.

The silver haired jounin glanced down, surprised. Who was- Ah, he remembered now! Realization hit him hard as he fought the urge to smack himself in the forehead.

"Sakura, good to see you! Ah, let me rephrase that: I hate everyone _but_ her."

Kakashi and Sakura smiled, leaving a dumbfounded Sai, Naruto, and Sasuke staring at them. Surprised wouldhave beenputting it mildly.

* * *

DUN DUN DUN. okay reviews now plz. no flames. thank you. twinkle twinkle. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me.

**Author's Note:** Did you notice I accidentally used the same author's note from the first chapter to the second chapter? Anyway, I need to clear up a few things here. In this fic:

1.Itachi didn't kill the Uchiha clan, it was Orochimaru.

2.Itachi and Sasuke are the only remaining Uchihas, and Sasuke doesn't know that Orochimaru was the murderer; therefore, he wants power to find the "real" killer.

3.Sakura is 13, and the rest are either 14 or 15.

4.Sakura has no parents. Naiteki andher live in an apartment by themselves.

"La" talking

'_La_' thinking

'**_La_**' inner Sakura

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Five ninjas sat in a lopsided line on the sun beaten concrete of Konoha Academy's front steps, each a distinct contrast to the last. The first was a jounin, a high ranking ninja, who sported tousled, silver hair and a face covered by a mask, leaving only one lazy eye visible. A student sat next to him, her face also concealed by a mask except this one was composed of shadow. Her name was Sakura Haruno. Not much was to be said about her really, since she kept the majority of her life a secret from everyone and everything.

The next boy had a smile glued on his pale face, eyes crinkled in false humor. They called this boy Sai; no last name escorted the first. His sense of clothing was a tad bit questionable since he wore an uneven-sleeved midriff top that flaunted his abdomen like it was for sale. That worried Kakashi a little… but the youth was a talented artist. Those crafty hands were constantly holding a pencil, moving the tool back and forth on the surface of a sketchpad. Kakashi was, however, a bit concerned that the boy used to reside in Sound; therefore leading the jounin to question his loyalty to Konoha.

Sitting some distance from the smiling boy was another male, a fine, handsome lad whose mind seemed to be off in some distant world. Whatever he was thinking about it must have been pretty intense in how his face appeared to be frozen in mid-scowl, occasionally flaring up in anger. Like Sakura, this boy, Sasuke, concealed his emotions and intentions well, rejecting everyone and everything.

The final nin was a hyper, blonde haired, blue eyed youth who wore a loud, orange jumpsuit. '_Well that's not going to do him any good when he's trying to camouflage himself_.' Kakashi had already experienced first hand the destructively loud voice he could produce. '_Eh, neither is that._'

'**_Aw man, we haven't seen this guy in ages! I mean what are the chances? Maybe this won't be so bad after all._**'

Sakura had her face upturned towards him, a smile adorning her features, err, what little there were. Kakashi's left eye curved upward, indicating that he was smiling too. He gingerly patted her on the head, eliciting a small giggle from her.

'_What does this guy have that we don't?_' The three boys thought in unison. Sasuke was a little bothered that he wasn't getting female attention- it was sort of a habit for him now. Naruto couldn't explain why but he was just jealous. Sai wanted to know so that he could one day use it to his advantage.

"So," the jounin slurred, "Why don't we start by introducing ourselves? Begin by saying your name, hobbies, and what you like and dislike. I'll go first. My name is Hatake, Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you about my likes or dislikes. My dreams? Well, I have many hobbies."

Sakura sweat dropped. '_Wow Kakashi, that was definitely informative._'

"Pfft, that's it?" Naruto boasted.

"Okay then," Kakashi answered, "you can go next, blondie."

Naruto puffed up his chest, raised one foot triumphantly, and beat his chest with a fist. "My name," he proclaimed as if it were some royal decree, "Is Naruto Uzumaki! I like cup ramen and I hope to one day try every type of ramen in the world! I dislike waiting 3 minutes for ramen to cook, and I also dislike… um…"

Naruto paused and looked around. Aha!

"Oh yeah, I also dislike _those_ two!" He pointed to Sai and Sasuke, both of whom were sweat dropping. "My hobbies? Um… pranks? Oh, Oh! And-"

"Okay blondie, you're done. Next!" Kakashi made note to himself to frequently shut Naruto up.

"And my dreams are to become Hokage one day." Naruto finished quickly. Sakura smiled at his words though nobody was really paying attention. She knew darn well how maltreated and condescended the youth was, yet through it all he rose up again, like a phoenix and its ashes. You had to give the boy some credit- standing up after what he's been through was simply amazing.

"Alright, you're up blue boy."

Sasuke scowled. "My name is Uchiha, Sasuke. I like nothing and have many dislikes. I have no hobbies. My dreams are to kill a certain man." The point was emphasized when the Uchiha's face darkened and his hands clenched, slightly drawing blood from his palms. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

'_Interesting, an Uchiha… This shall be entertaining_.' Kakashi rubbed his chin. "Hm, I guess it's your turn, blackie."

Sai did not appreciate the odd nicknames their new sensei had dubbed them. "My name is Sai. There is no need for you to concern yourself with my likes or dislikes. My hobbies are drawing, but unless you wish for a swift death then I advise you not to look in my sketchbook. Dreams? Yes, I have some at night."

"Probably about men," Naruto muttered under his breath. Kakashi heard and raised an eyebrow. Sakura hit him in the back of the head, "Naruto."

'**_What the heck? All we're really getting out of these guys are just their names! What a talkative crowd._**" Naiteki had hoped that Sakura's teammates would be loquacious and allow her to socialize more, but, much to her disappointment, she got stuck with a bunch of ego nerds. Bleh.

'_These guys are all copying me! I need to patent that sentence_.' Kakashi looked at his final student and the only female one. "Okay, Sakura, it's your turn." The boys leaned forward, eager to hear what she said about herself.

"My name is Sakura Haruno," she started, "My hobbies training and hanging out with my friend, Hinata. Likes and dislikes? Well, you can find those out on your own." She smiled and the boys groaned. That didn't sound too promising. "And my dreams…" Her voice faded. The remaining four listened diligently, anxiously wanting to hear what she had to say.

"My dreams… are to find something, and let go of another…" She said no more. She pulled her knees close to her chest and lowered her head. Intrigue possessed the boys as they desired to know more, unsatisfied with the little information she had given.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto spoke first, "What do you mean by-"

"Alright, kids!" Kakashi cut in, "We're all done here! Now meet me at training area number five at six. Oh, and don't eat any breakfast or else you'll throw up." Several of the kids looked queasy. "Ja! Oh, and Sakura, I'll catch ya later."

Kakashi waved and evanesced (A/N: cool word, huh?) into the cool, dusk breeze, leaving nothing but vacant space in his wake. Naruto yawned and stretched, Sai put his sketchbook away, Sasuke dusted off his clothes, and Sakura traced little circles in the ground. She placed a slender hand on the small of her back and stretched, working out any kinks and cramps that had formed.

"Later, losers," Sai said flatly. He turned on his heel and left the trio to their separate businesses.

"Psh, good riddance," Naruto muttered.

"Dobe," Sasuke rose from his spot and headed in the opposite direction towards the Uchiha district. "I'm going home."

Sakura followed suit and gathered up her things. Her apartment was relatively near the Uchiha district, so she followed him.

"Sakura-chan!" a vociferous voice sounded within her ears. Naruto. "Sakura-chan, wait up! You too, teme! Hey, um, would you mind if I walked with you guys for a little bit?"

"Yes," said Sasuke.

"No." said Sakura.

The two glanced at each other briefly before Sakura turned away in disgust. "He might not want you to walk with him, but I wouldn't mind your company."

Naruto's eyes glimmered in thankfulness and welled up with tears of joy. "Oh, Sakura-chan! Thank you soo much, nobody's ever let me walk with them before!" Sakura's eyes softened at the boy and slowed down so he could catch up with her. Sasuke scoffed and sped up his pace, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. Onyx eyes locked onto a person up ahead. He was holding a sketchpad casually in one hand.

"Sai."

The said male turned around slightly, revealing a profile half shadowed by the setting sun. Charcoal eyes regarded him, "Uchiha. What do you want?"

"I need to have a word with you about that deal we made earlier."

Sai's eyes narrowed and stopped in his tracks, allowing the Uchiha boy to join him. "Shoot."

Sasuke wasted no time. He wanted this talk to be over and done with within the scrawny time frame of two minutes, and being a man of little words, he was sure that would happen. "I want out. Take back your offer, I'm not interested anymore. I can get power elsewhere."

The artist plastered on another one of his genuinely fake smiles, eyes curved upward. "We had an agreement, Sasuke-_kun_." He twitched at the vile nickname.

"I don't care about your power or what I can gain. The deal's off."

"Fine, I guess you're too ball-less to even attempt to handle our strength. I don't see how I ever got sorted into a team as pathetic as this."

"What was that?" Onyx eyes flashed dangerously as a hand touched a kunai threateningly.

"You heard me." Sai did the same.

"Fine, you asked for it." A male with chicken-like hair lunged forward, kunai in hand.

* * *

Not too far behind the two dark boys, Naruto and Sakura were walking in the same direction, the cerulean eyed teen trailing after his younger friend like a lost duckling. He was currently pestering her with such a passion that she couldn't help but give some credit to the boy's effort. It was difficult to maintain a consistent argument since Sakura had reinstated her stress-relieving routine of inhaling and exhaling.

"Please, Saku-chan?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"But I want you to come! Just have a little ramen."

"I said no."

"Pretty please? With sugar on top?" Naruto offered, "Ichiraku will be fun! And the food there is wonderful!"

'**_Psh, that's what you think, ramen-boy. All you ever eat is ramen, ramen, ramen. It isn't the whole universe, ya know. Go try some Umeboshi!_**" (A/N: that is actually one of Sakura's fave foods.)

Sakura rubbed her brow, inhaling and exhaling. She wasn't exactly a social person, and rarely ever ate in public restaurants or facilities. Sure she snuck a few guilty pleasures from vendors now and then, but she was always alone when that happened. Whenever she did decide to eat with another person it was usually with Hinata, and she didn't want people to suspect she and Naruto were dating. A rumor might spread and if Hinata caught word of it then their friendship would come crashing down.

"Please?"

Good Lord. Did the pest ever give up?

'**Apparently not.**' Naiteki stuck earplugs in her ears.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto pressed, "I'm asking you as a friend. Pweaase?" He smeared an adorable, large-eyed, cuddly puppy face on and looked deep into her crystalline orbs.

She sighed heavily, her chest heaving form the force of the exhalation. The orange jumpsuit-clad boy would probably keep this up for another good, ten minutes, and she already had a migraine as it was. Unable to handle anymore of the Uzumaki's annoyance, she reluctantly agreed.

"Fine." The sound was barely above a squeak. Unfortunately, the kitsune heard.

"YAY!" he cheered, throwing his arms up in happiness. Sakura-chan made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and he liked being around her. She was the only one who didn't shun him or be incredibly mean to him. "Hey, I know! Let's go see if teme numbers one and two wanna come!"

"Naruto, I don't think-" Sakura's sentence was unheard as she trailed off, silently observing the scene in front of her. Naruto took note of it also.

Sai and Sasuke had kunais at each other's necks, trying drastically to beat the other into a bloody pulp. Sasuke executed a perfect roundhouse kick and shot a kunai as he was turning, while Sai leaped into the air and released a rain of shuriken towards Sasuke. The Uchiha performed numerous hand seals and released his signature "Fireball Jutsu". The charcoal eyed boy countered the attack by hastily painting a tiger to defend him.

Sakura couldn't believe it. They were teammates! They shouldn't be trying to kill each other! And as far as she was concerned, this was no friendly test of strength. "Naruto, come here, I need your help!"

The blonde tore his gaze from the two battling boys and ran over to his female teammate. "Whoa, I've never seen anything so intense! What do you think we should do?"

She grabbed a handful of his spiky, golden hair and pulled him down to whisper her plan. The boys weren't fighting too seriously, and from her vantage point Sakura could tell that they were retaining most of their strength. All they needed was a simple diversion and then they'd swoop in and separate them before any got too hurt or worn out. Last thing she needed was for her teammates to pass out here on the street.

'**_Ech. I knew this was going to happen. Those boys just had it coming_**.'

Naruto nodded and took a few steps backwards, performing a few hand seals himself. He was going to bring forth his infamous Shadow Clone Jutsu. About 4 more Narutos appeared, making a total of five. Sakura, along with the new Narutos, disappeared into the shadows of the street while the remaining sucked in a deep breath, warming up his vocal chords.

A huge holler was unleashed from the boy's loudspeaker-like throat. "OH MY GOD, SAKURA-CHAN IS IN TROUBLE! AND I'M GOING TO DIE!"

Instantly, two obsidian heads snapped in his direction, their sparring ceased temporarily.

"Now!" Four identical blondes came swooping downward, latching on to each of Sai's limbs. Sakura appeared behind Sasuke and restrained him, locking her arms around his.

"What the-?" the two boys gasped in unison.

Naruto number five poofed away and Sakura struggled with Sasuke. "You guys need to stop fighting! You can beat the crap out of each other later but tonight we need to rest and get ready for Kakashi-sensei's test. Now be good little boys or else we'll drag you home personally!"

'**_You tell em, girl! Cha!_**' Naiteki thrust a fist in the air triumphantly. '**_Score one for the girl, zero for the boys!_**'

"Come on," Sakura yanked Sasuke and Sai by the collar, remarkably frustrated that she had to miss dinner for this botheration. Honestly, these boys needed to control their tempers! All the way back to their houses Sakura let Naiteki take over and lecture the boys.

Sasuke and Sai couldn't help but smirk partially at the young woman before them. A tiny bit of Sai's fake smile was real. She was probably the only girl in all of Konoha who hadn't yet fawned at the sight of the heartthrobs, not to mention her mysteriousness was bewitching. Even though they had only been with her for a few hours, they had already taken a liking to her. It wasn't every day that a girl had the nerve to stand up to them and drag them home like this. It was just like having a mother all over again.

"Oi! Sakura-chan! Does this mean we don't get ramen anymore?"

Bonk.

"Ow!"

"Dobe."

* * *

Bleh. This one kinda sucked but it was the best i could do. I feel a little writers block coming on... oh no! maybe the next few chapters will be better, ne?

By the way, I noticed some steretyping in the anime. Naruto is blonde, right? And he's dumb, right? Connect the two. Haha ok carry on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me if you hate this story.

**Author's Note: **Erm, I'm not so sure about the pairings so I'll let u guys decide. Who do you want Sakura with?

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_Sakura was in a forest, crystalline drops of waterpouring from her eyes. As her tears fell to the cold, hard ground, they slowly transformed into crimson droplets. Her tears were turning into blood. Those strawberry locks were disheveled and mixed with trace amounts of dirt, her clothing wrinkled and torn. She stared at a person in front of her, his back turned apathetically away._

"_I-If I left," she was whispering, "You wouldn't care, would you?"_

_He stole a glance at her from over his shoulder, unaffected by her helpless state. Not a single muscle flinched in protest; he might have even scowled at her. "No."_

_Somehow she felt her whole world begin to crack, like a massive hurricane had swept through and began to lift the barriers that she had worked so hard to build, exposing the tender girl inside._

_Then, several more figures appeared next to the boy, all scowling at her pathetic little form. It looked as if some even intended to harm her, a few hands dangerously close to their kunai holsters. Viridian eyes widened. One of the figures had short cropped, violet hair- just like someone she knew._

"_H-Hinata?" Sakura choked out. Oh please don't let her be part of that group. The girl that Sakura referred to hid behind another, not even bothering to answer her question. Though the girl gave no reply, young Sakura knew that the girl really was her ex-best friend. The remainder of the people must have been people she knew- and they were now turning their backs on her. But why?_

"_Nobody," the boy from earlier began to speak again, "Nobody wants you here anymore. You lied to us, deceived us, what did you take us for? Fools?" He said nothing more. He knew that she knew what they were talking about._

_At that moment, a sharp pain ricocheted through the poor girl as she screamed in anguish, pounding her fists on the ground. How could they be so harsh? What did she ever do to them! No words could describe how violently her mood sunk; it was like having everything ripped from you. The people ignored her and began heading in the opposite direction, disregarding her. She was left to cry alone, unloved, and forgotten._

Sakura screamed and bolted upright in her bed so swiftly that she fell off of it. She didn't bother picking herself up, preferring to lie rigid on the icy, wooden floor. Her breath was ragged and uneven, and eyes as wide as saucers. W-What exactly did she just dream? It felt so…so…real. She shivered, clutching herself while she curled up in a little ball. That was one freaky dream, but why did she have it?

Naiteki yawned and stretched her arms as she too got up from her mini bed. '**_Saku-chan, what's wrong? Why are you up so early?_**'

'_N-Nothing… I just had a bad dream_.'

'**_Oh. Whatever…_**" Naiteki yawned and flopped back down on her mini bed.

Sakura was still shivering slightly and fought to control herself. She really didn't feel like going back to sleep, just in case she had that dream again. Well, now that she was already up she might as well go out for an early walk. She still had a good two hours before she was needed at the training area.

The girl proceeded to perform her morning necessities, Naiteki protesting profusely at the time. '**_Excuse me but, what the heck! Come on, I need at least five more hours! GO BACK TO BED!_**'

Sakura pulled up a pair of black socks and strapped on her regulation ninja sandals. The girl pulled herself up and stared at the reflection. Staring back at her was an antisocial, trainaholic demon. Sakura sighed. She zipped up her hood and covered her face with it, replacing her mask of shadow.

The Haruno girl shook her head and headed towards the door of her apartment, locking it on the way out. As soon as she entered the still dark streets of Konoha, the scent of cool, fresh air invaded her lungs. Sakura inhaled deeply and laughed. She twirled lightly in the crisp, pre-dawn atmosphere, sliding with a grace that could rival a ballerina's. Nobody else was present in the area; or so she thought.

Sai made a reconnaissance of the area from an abandoned warehouse, staring out of a grimy window. He was drawing a quick map of what he saw but halted his doodling when he caught sight of his female teammate. As the elegant girl danced her merry little dance, a warm feeling took root in his stomach. His fake smiled wasn't on, but he did have a light feeling on contentment tug at his lips.

When Sakura was brought over to Sound, he wouldn't let that demon Orochimaru take control of the little flower and use her for his own sick purposes. No, Sai would protect this one. The feeling was unexplainable but he just felt an "obligation" to her.

He sighed and continued watching the little blossom as she casually strode towards their training area. Sai left too, it was also time for him to meet up with somebody.

* * *

"Sai!" a silver haired boy called out to him. The artist nin looked up from his spot at a tree. There was Kabuto. 

"Kabuto," Sai nodded in regards to him.

"How's the mission going? Do we have Haruno's and Uchiha's trusts yet?"

Sai closed his eyes and turned away. He grunted. "I said I was working on it."

"Still? My, my, aren't we getting a bit rusty." Kabuto mused silently.

"Shut up." Sai threw a kunai at the teen. "Uchiha is a major pain in the ass. He says he'd rather be drowned in a pool of donkey piss than work with us anymore."

"Graphic." Kabuto cut in. "I don't know what you did but you're going to have to fix that. Orochimaru-sama wouldn't be too happy if he found out. What about the girl?"

"Sakura will be an easier target. We just have to break down that wall of hers and we're home free."

His partner adjusted his glasses, slightly suspicious that Sai actually referred to her by her name. "Hmph. I hope you can do at least that. You got the good team: Naiteki, Kyuubi, and Sharingan."

"Aa." Kabuto took that as an "I understand". "Though they might be the most powerful nins, they are also the most incompetent brats I have ever met."

Kabuto began laughing, his glasses slowly sliding off his nose. "You should meet my team. I've got a boy who's obsessed with bugs, another that's a puppy lover, and a girl too shy to even breathe. It's like pure hell trying to train with them."

Sai smirked.

"Here, Orochimaru-sama sent us some new orders." Kabuto handed a scroll to the obsidian haired boy. "I haven't read them yet but they seem pretty important. Later." He performed a few hand seals and teleported to where his team was expecting him. The remainder opened his letter.

_Sai,_

_I am very pleased with your progress and reports; however I am deciding to take a more direct measure. I want you to gain the trusts of Naiteki, Kyuubi, and **both** of the Uchiha brothers. Kabuto will be busy also trying to gain the Hyuugas' approval. Also, I have received word of a chuunin exam approaching in a few months, and I believe it will be of great advantage to us…_

Sai held his letter with great anticipation as he let his eyes scan it with a bit of mirth. That old sannin truly was a disgusting, insane creature, and that's what Sai liked best about him. He was cold and unfeeling, striving only to please himself. The boy slipped the piece of parchment into a holster on his belt and teleported to Area 6.

* * *

Sakura had her hands in her pockets, nonchalantly kicking a pebble along as she went. The genin was busy reflecting on the previous night's events, a coy smile drifting onto those cherry lips. She remembered the clearly bewildered emotion on Itachi's face as she showed up at the Uchiha mansion, dragging Sasuke along by his collar. She laughed genuinely to herself. 

**Flashback**

_Itachi sat on one of the plush, maroon couches in the Uchiha mansion as he read a particularly large book on advanced jutsus. Of course this was merely review for the prodigal male. A sudden knocking came rapping at his door, causing him to look up from his tome._

'Dear god, please don't tell me it's any more of our fan girls_.' Itachi grimaced. He already had his hands full just fending off his share of the female population, and he didn't want to deal with Sasuke's share either. He peeked through the door's peephole and saw the face, or chin and lips, of a girl. Itachi sighed. Another one._

"_Look," he began as he opened the door, "Sasuke isn't home…yet…" he blinked. The girl in front of him had the collars of his scowling little brother and another boy in her hands, a little blonde kid whining after her_

"_Does this belong to you?" she pointed to Sasuke._

_Itachi blinked, trying to comprehend the situation. "What happened here?"_

"_Sasuke and this guy got into a fight." She pulled them up for Itachi to see_

"_Yeah! And it was like BAM! WHACK! BOOM!" Naruto used hand movements to emphasize his point._

"_Aa," Itachi inspected the minor bruises and scratches that littered his otoutou's body. "Sasuke," he said expectantly. The boy looked away, not wanting to meet the gaze of his brother. Itachi sighed and pulled the younger Uchiha inside. "Thank you, um, miss?"_

"_Haruno, Sakura," she finished for him. "I'm on these idiots' team." Itachi nodded. She left thereafter, dragging a scowling Sai behind her and a chipper Naruto. Itachi smiled. He hadn't met a girl like that in ages._

**End Flashback**

She had taken her time walking, grabbing a little breakfast along the way. Even though Kakashi had said not to, she knew better than to trust the word of the old pervert. '_He's probably going to be four hours late anyways_.'

'**_No kidding… Hey, don't you ever wonder what he does?_**' Naiteki was filing her nails.

'_Nope_.' Sakura chewed on a donut, savoring the sugary goodness. The first time she had met Kakashi was when she was a sobbing, fragile four year old, lost and in some alley. He had just returned from an anbu mission and saw her, curled up in a ball near a trash can, scrounging for food. His only visible eye softened as he bent down to ask her questions like "Where's your mom? What's your name?"

After finding out that she was abandoned, he carried her to the Hokage, who realized she was the child with Naiteki inside of her. He placed Sakura under Kakashi's care until they could set her up in an apartment. Kakashi used to visit Sakura regularly, a little reluctant to let go of his "temporary daughter".

They still spent time together, and it usually ended up with Sakura laughing hysterically in pain and Kakashi in some embarrassing circumstance. A smile crept up to her lips.

As the strawberry haired nin began wrapping up her thoughts, she became increasingly aware of another presence in the area. She looked up and saw Sasuke, leaning informally against the trunk of a pine tree.

'**_Ew it's him_**…' inner Sakura started to produce gagging noises.

'_Oh shut up,_' Sakura mentally placed a wad of duct tape over Naiteki's mouth, '_If we're going to be on the same team then we might as well try and get along_.' Sakura greeted him. "Ohayo, Sasuke." He looked up from his tree and nodded. Naiteki ripped off the duct tape and momentarily scrunched her face up in pain. '**_Ow_**.'

Sakura walked up to the cherry blossom tree that he was leaning on and sat down at his feet, fiddling with a twig. Sasuke suddenly felt at ease. A certain question had been bothering him all day, and he was just itching to ask it. "Sakura, how do you know Kakashi?"

She stopped twirling her stick and snapped it in half. "We go way back."

The Uchiha was discontented with her vague and meager answer, but before he could speak another word in protest two voices were heard arguing down the road. One was quite loud, and the other a calm and almost mocking sort. '_Crap it's them_.'

"Why don't you shut up!"

"Why don't you grow a dick?"

"Aargh!" Naruto found it increasingly difficult to deal with this teammate of his. Every time he saw that jeering face he wanted to smash it in with a nice, chakra powered fist. Sai began to unleash another rain of insults; however a senbon flew by, causing him to draw back in order to avoid being struck. Obsidian eyes flicked over to a smiling kunoichi.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat, "It's a little early in the morning don't you think?"

"It's always too early for your ugly face to show up around here."

Sakura felt a pang hammer in her head. Naiteki was throwing another tantrum. '**_That's it! That fag has had it waaay too easy, it's about time I teach him a lesson or two!_**'

"How's she ugly? You can't even see her face." Naruto stated.

"And that's a good thing." Sai replied.

Snap. '**_RRRAAAAWWWR!_**'

* * *

Kakashi took his sweet time as he toured the lovely Konoha Park. Several kids were giggling playfully as a few moms chattered incessantly. '_Ah, nothing like a peaceful morning to start the day… and a new issue of Come Come Paradise!_' He chuckled to himself as he flipped another page of the said orange book, a slight tint of pink staining his cheeks. '_Ooh… Tomiko, you sly devil, you_.' 

He was making his way towards Area 6, in a secluded area near the Forest of Death. This Area was significant to him since it was near the Konoha Memorial Statue, where the names of his most intimate friends were engraved. '_Obito… Rin…_'

As he approached the area, some four hours late, his one visible eye witnessed a huge brawl up ahead. An eyebrow quirked questioningly as he placed his beloved book back in its holster. In the blink of an eye, he was sitting casually on the branch of a Sakura tree, silently observing the scene below him.

"Sakura-chan!" a somewhat scratchy voice whined, "Stop! H-He didn't mean it!" All he received in reply was a roar. "Eh, that didn't work."

The Haruno girl was busy thrashing under Sasuke's grip, trying to free herself madly. Sasuke Uchiha had his arms clamped around the strawberry haired genin's waist, grunting every time she flailed. Though her eyes were not visible, Kakashi could tell they were burning in fury. Naruto was desperately trying to calm her down, but to no avail. Sai was on the other side of the clearing, clutching his face which sported a huge bruise on the side of it. He was glaring at the rage induced kunoichi.

"Bitch," he mumbled, "Just because you're ugly doesn't mean you have to mangle _my_ face too."

'**_He's just asking for more isn't he?_**'

"Let go, Sasuke!" Sakura yelled. Naruto and the others drew back slightly; her voice seemed to be shadowed over by another vile tone. It was barely audible, but they heard it nonetheless. "I've had enough of your insults! Damn it, Sasuke, let me at him! I'll rip him to shreds!" She clawed at his arms, causing him to hiss in pain.

'_Naiteki_.' Sai smiled. In reality he was feeling quite exhilarated at her anger. It was quite a wonder how her hood stayed on through all this.

Kakashi sweat dropped. '_Oh dear, he got Sakura mad. Not good, not good. Well, I'd better get in there before Sakura kills them all_.' He hopped down from his tree and casually strode towards them. "Ohayo!"

Sakura froze and blinked. A smile found its way up to her lips as she recognized the voice. "Kakashi-kun!" She relaxed and stopped her writhing. Sasuke kept his arms around her waist just to make sure she didn't throw another tantrum when he let go.

"Erm," the 22 (A/N: Yes, 22) year old scanned his ruffled students, "I'm not even going to ask. Now, everyone gather around, I'll tell you about your test."

"Uh, test?" Naruto scratched his head.

"Yes, test." Kakashi's eye crinkled in happiness. Oh how he loved to tell them about the test! "To become full-fledged genin, you must first pass a test given by your teacher. Out of the 28 who graduated, only 16 will pass."

"Wait, what was the point of the graduation test then?" Sasuke questioned. His chin was resting on Sakura's shoulder. Both had forgotten that they were still holding onto each other. Sai glared at Sasuke. Whether it was out of jealousy or hatred, the world may never know.

"That," Kakashi chuckled, "was the first major weeding process. This one is the second one. Okay, enough talk, I'll inform you about your test. Now, do you see these three bells?" he pulled them out, "Your mission is to take these from me. You will have two hours, and I expect full effort from all of you. If, by the two hour mark, you have not retrieved a bell, then you will fail. Your time starts… Now!"

* * *

Sai and Sasuke were concealed under a thick patch of undergrowth, not a single black hair was out of place. Both were hidden straight across from each other, but both were hidden so well that neither could spot each other. Sakura was standing atop a tree, scanning for Naruto. If anything he'd be the easiest to find, and then she could tell him her plan. 

Kakashi poofed into the area and looked around expectantly. '_I see they have concealed themselves well… that's good_.'

"Hey, sensei!" A jumpsuit-clad youth stomped into the area and pointed a confident finger at the ex-anbu. "You'd better watch out, Konoha's future Hokage is after you!"

'**_Oh dear. He's basically screwed over_**.' Naiteki fingered her hair.

'_Yup_.' Sakura sweat dropped.

"Kyah!" Naruto rushed forward, a handful of shuriken ready to be thrown. Kakashi merely sighed and watched as the blonde got lured into his trap. "Eep!" Naruto squeaked as he was strung upside down from a tree, his forehead protector covering his eyes. "Hey, what happened? Who turned off the lights?"

"Dickless." Sai grumbled.

"Dobe." Sasuke muttered. Kakashi began lecturing Naruto on his stupidity and how open he was. Onyx eyes widened as he realized that this was his chance. '_He's dropped his guard, this is it!_' He hurriedly threw a kunai at their sensei, and struck him precisely on target. The wounded Kakashi turned into a log.

'_Kuso! A replacement jutsu!_' Sasuke cursed. He suddenly felt a presence behind him. "Boo." Kakashi. The Uchiha whirled around and delivered a crane kick, causing the jounin to disappear in a cloud of smoke. '_A clone. Damn, he knows where I am. I need to get out of here, and fast!_'

"Stupid Uchiha." Sai muttered under his breath. A kunai suddenly struck the ground in front of him, a hair shy of grazing his nose. "What the-?"

"You need to be quieter, Sai."

He flipped over to see his sensei looming happily over him. The artist grabbed the kunai in front of him and thrust it through the clone's heart. '_Fuck, he knows where I am too!_'

* * *

Sakura hurdled through branches and leaves, trying to recover her scattered teammates. '_God, where are they?_' She had cut Naruto's rope a long time ago, but he had run off into the forest afterwards, not giving Sakura time to speak to him. Because she had spent the most time with Kakashi, she knew this was a test of teamwork, and it wasn't going so good so far. Sakura had a plan that could help them get the bells, but she needed their full cooperation. '_God damn it, why can't they stay in one place!_' 

About twelve or so trees over, she saw Naruto strung upside down… from a tree… again. "Naruto?" she questioned. She threw a shuriken at his rope, freeing him.

"Ah! Sakura-chan," he ran over and hugged her but she thrust a hand in his face, stopping him. "You saved me!"

"What happened here? Oh, never mind," she sighed, "I think I know what happened. Listen, Naruto, I have a plan. It's..." The blonde leaned forward as she whispered into his ear. His eyes gleamed with mischief as he shook his head vigorously.

* * *

Elsewhere, Sai and Kakashi were locked in a heated struggle. Sasuke was present too, except his whole body was underground and only his head was visible. He had managed to touch a bell, but it still wasn't good enough for Kakashi. And now Sai was testing his strength against the jounin. 

A tiger leapt at the jounins trying to claw at him. The silver haired man ducked and threw a kunai at its back, and performed a jutsu that lit the thing on fire. It screeched as it dissipated, leaving a scowling and bruised Sai and an unscratched Kakashi. Sai panted as he unleashed kick after punch, punch after kick, that nuisance of a sensei dodging it all. "Not good enough, Sai." A series of vines erupted form the earth and bound themselves around the boy, gagging him and chaining him to a tree. "Now, where was I? Oh yes." Kakashi pulled out his precious orange book, leaning nonchalantly on a rock. Both boys were now immobilized. Sai and Sasuke sweat dropped.

"HYAH!" a war cry echoed through the forest as an orange blur came running towards the jounin.

"Naruto. It's so obvious." The jounin sighed. As he got up to stop Naruto, a pink presence appeared at his side and pounded a kick into his back. He managed to duck in time, but that gave Naruto enough time to kick his face upward. As Kakashi fell backwards, Sakura performed a back flip and cut him off before he hit the ground; instead she punched him in his lower back, thrusting him upward again. About seven more Narutos appeared, all tackling the poor jounin to the ground. Kakashi roared and caused and explosion, throwing all the Narutos off. As the eruption blasted the clones away, a pink blur swept past Kakashi. She put a foot out to brace herself and launched a flying kick at the jounin. He caught her by the ankle and flipped her behind him, slamming her hard on the ground. She was incredibly fast for her age, making it a bit hard to dodge her. _'Maybe I shouldn't have put in all those training sessions with her_...'

Sai and Sasuke watched in slight awe as their teammates fought flawlessly against their sensei. A slap was heard as Sakura skid across the ground, sliding to where the real Naruto was. Bruises and cuts decorated the two genin's bodies as they raised themselves shakily, identical smirks on each of their faces.

_'What are they smiling about?_' Kakashi, Sai, and Sasuke thought.

A little bubble of laughter floated in Naruto's and Sakura's throats as they fought to stifle it. Soon little giggles escaped and evolved into huge fits of alughter, causing them to double over and clutch their sides in pain. "HAHA, he actually fell for it!"

"Fell for what?" the other two boys questioned.

Uzumaki and Haruno smirked and straightened up. As they did so, a light jingling was heard. Sakura put her hands on her hips as she held up her shiny, metallic bell, letting it ring lightly in the breeze. Naruto bounced around with his, eagerly waving it in the boy's faces. "Ha! You see this? What is it, hm? Yeah, it's a bell! Woot!"

"Oh," Kakashi smiled, "Will you look at that? They really did." he stepped aside and revealed only one bell left on his belt. "I guess you pass."

"YAY!" the two clasped their hands together excitedly and danced around happily. Sakura totally disregarded the fact that she looked ridiculous and completely out of character.

Sai and Sasuke scowled. "How the hell did they get the bells?"

"That doesn't matter," Kakashi stepped forward, "What matters is that you two still haven't gotten yours. I expected more of a challenge from you." The boys looked away, guilt written all over their faces. The ex-anbu sighed. "I'll give you two more hours after lunch, but you don't get lunch. These," he pulled out two bentos, "are for Sakura and Naruto, our winners. Oh yeah, Sakura, Naruto, you two are forbidden to feed them."

"HA! Another thing you don't get!" Naruto gave them a raspberry. Sakura slapped him in the back of the head. "Ow, Sakura-chan!"

"Dobe."

* * *

_Grumble._

_**Grumble.**_

_**GRUMBLE!**_

"That's it!" Sakura yelled. She turned her gaze menacingly up at Sai and Sasuke, both of whom were strapped to two identical posts. A few tints of red stained their pale cheeks. "God, if you're so hungry then eat this!" She offered her bento up to the boys. They quirked their eyebrows.

"B-But Sfakura-chan," Naruto sputtered, food dripping form his stuffed mouth, "Kakaffi-fenfei faid not to feed em'!"

"Well, he's not here, is he?" Sakura questioned.

"No..."

"Exactly." She raised a piece of rice to Sasuke who looked around before he took a bite, just to make sure. He savored the taste. She then passed a piece of meat to Sai, who eyed it suspiciously.

"Normally I don't take stuff from ugly people."

"DO YOU WANT IT OR NOT?" Sakura didn't have time for his arguing. He quickly turned silent and took a bite. "Good boy."

Suddenly, a huge gust of wind whooshed past them as a silver figure loomed over the four. His eyes glowed with a frightening gleam. "YOU FOUR!" he roared and pointed at the quartette, a surreal scene forming behind him. Clouds turned gray, lighting and thunder echoed through the area, the wind picked up, and the temperature fell a few degrees. "Pass." Abruptly, the skies cleared and birds began chirping again.

'_What the fuck?_' Sasuke thought.

'_Huh... I never knew Kakashi-kun could change the weather_.' Sakura tapped her chin. '**_Neither did I._**' Inner Sakura scratched her head.

"Whoa... that was weird." Naruto spun around in circles, still trying to understand what had just happened.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'pass'?" Sai's constant smile didn't even flinch.

Kakashi smiled. "The answer is simple: teamwork. Well, Sakura and Naruto already passed so I guess I should have said 'You two'. Anyway, they joined together and were able to get two bells each from me, unlike you. You guys chose to work alone, which resulted in your defeat. Now, when you and Sasuke were strapped to those posts, Sakura gave them some of her food, a sign of true loyalty. Ninja who don't follow the rules are trash, but ninja who'd rather leave their teammates behind are even lower than that."

* * *

whoa that was long. need to shorten it. merp. reviews. no flames. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me if you hate this story.

**Author's Note: **Squee! Reviews! Thank you so much, I love you all! Anyway, check out my other story: _Beyond Rivalry_. Chapter is dedicated to WingedTdg!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

The huge Hyuuga mansion loomed regally over the horizon, its towering pewter gates reflecting in the sunlight. Neatly trimmed hedges sat on the outskirts of the estate, some cut to resemble animals. Sakura whistled as she strode through the cobblestone pathway to the front door. Lately Sakura had been given the impression that Hinata was trying to avoid her, and she just wanted to check if there was anything wrong. As she approached the heavy, oak double doors, she lifter the metal knocker and knocked three times. A light scuffling was heard from the inside as a shy eye cracked the door open. Sakura smiled, "Hey, Hinata-chan."

"Oh," Hinata sighed, "Sakura. What is it?"

A single pink eyebrow raised in suspicion. Why didn't she call her 'Sakura-chan'? "Hinata-chan, what's wrong?"

The white eyed girl sighed. She was still a little upset that Naruto had given Sakura a pet name. "It's nothing… except, why does Naruto-kun call you 'Sakura-chan'?"

It didn't take long for Sakura to understand. She almost gagged in disgust at Hinata's assumption. "Ew, gross! Did you really think he was going out with me or something?"

Hinata's face flushed a ripe shade of pink as she lowered her gaze to the marble floor. "Mhmm." she mumbled.

Sakura placed a hand on the shy girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, Naruto always calls people with pet names. You shouldn't worry about that."

The Hyuuga heiress smiled a little. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

"What's going on here?" A figure leaned on the staircase behind Hinata, his piercing white eyes glaring at Sakura's hooded form.

"N-Neji-sama," Hinata shrunk under his scrutiny. "D-Does something t-trouble you?"

Sakura snarled lightly. Hinata was the heiress of the Main House and Neji's superior, yet she refers to him as if he's the boss of her. She wanted so much to yell at him and say 'Why is it any of your business, Hyuuga-teme?' But no. It _was_ his business what Hinata did; it was in Hiashi's orders for him to watch her. '**_Stupid, arrogant, egotistical, wannabee, loser, nerd, preppy, idiot…_**' Naiteki went down her list of spiteful adjectives for the Hyuuga.

"I-I was just t-talking t-to S-S-Sakura-chan," the timid female stuttered, "and w-we were about t-to go for a walk."

"Is there a problem with that?" Sakura asked, her tone as cold as ice.

"Hn," Neji answered. He left afterwards, but cast one last lingering glance at Sakura.

She let out a breath that she had been holding. "Come on, Hinata-chan. Let's get out of here before your 'bodyguard' over there comes back and makes me go through a strip search or something."

"That doesn't sound so bad." shouted a familiar, coffee-colored head. Sakura and Hinata blushed furiously as the pink-haired genin grabbed her friend and ushered her off the estate.

* * *

The pair was conversing casually as they passed through the markets and vendors, occasionally stopping for a bite or trinket here and there. Both of them giggled as they saw an entertainer perform a comedy routine for money. Sakura dropped a few coins while Hinata stuffed a couple bills into his jar. The strawberry haired girl sweat dropped. Rich old Hinata made her look like some cheapskate. Then again Sakura barely made enough money to support herself anyways. 

'**_Ah, it's times like these when you feel like there's not a care in the world!_**' Naiteki stretched out on her imaginary lawn chair, chewing happily on a dango. '**_Mff, it's heaven!_**'

Most of the genin were off today, but not team seven. Since Sai and Sasuke had not directly passed Kakashi's test, they were asked to join the jounin for a little teamwork practice session. Naruto and Sakura were free to do as they pleased, at least until sundown. This morning, they had received word that they were to take on a C-class mission, and were required to depart the village by sundown. All Kakashi had told them was that they had to guard some old guy named Tazuna. '**_Pfft, whatever. This will be a piece of cake._**'

As they continued down the road, Sakura was busily listening to Hinata tell her about something that happened during training. She was drifting in and out of the conversation, occasionally catching a few phrases such as "Kabuto put…" and "bugs in Kiba's pants…" While Hinata was busily retelling her memories, Sakura had her eyes glued to the concrete as she kicked a tiny pebble along. Since she wasn't exactly paying attention, she did not notice the blonde that was heading straight for her. With a loud "WHAM!" both girls collided with each other, Sakura grunted and fell back; Ino squeaked as she plopped down on her tush.

"Watch where you're going, freak!" Ino yelled as she dusted her clothes off.

'**_WHAT! You should watch where _you're_ going next time! We were _perfectly_ in line with the street_**.' Naiteki stuck her tongue out.

"Sorry." Sakura muttered. Naiteki fumed.

"You'd _better_ be sorry," Ino scoffed. "I just spent three hours this morning, trying to make myself presentable to Sasuke."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the way Ino spoke of him like a god. He really wasn't all that, and she was just wasting her time hoping that the heartless boy would ever notice her. "You're wasting your time, Yamanaka."

"Erm," Hinata helped Sakura up, "W-We're sorry, Ino-s-san. Next time, we'll, um, w-watch where we're g-going…"

"Humph." Ino puffed up her chest and walked off with a mock-dignity. Viridian eyes trailed after the blonde.

"You know, Ino-pig," Sakura said to her retreating back, "You shouldn't spend all your time on Sasuke. He's not worth it. You've got the potential to be one of the best kunoichi, and maybe you'd unlock that if you spent more time on training than your looks."

The blue eyed girl stopped walking and tensed her shoulders. Sakura could tell by her body position and shadow contour that the Yamanaka girl was in deep thought. "That's none of your business…" Ino began to move again, this time with a slower, more contemplative pace. Sakura sighed and led Hinata in the opposite direction.

"What was that all about?" Hinata questioned.

"Nothing. Just keep moving."

* * *

Kakashi licked his thumb and flipped through another page of his precious hentai novel. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched with a pleasant contentment at his two struggling students. He laughed silently to himself. For the teamwork training, Kakashi had placed both of their right arms in a Chinese finger trap, except this one was made of a ninja cloth that didn't break as easily and encompassed their entire arm. Right now, Sai and Sasuke were grunting, furiously trying to free themselves from the "arm cuffs." Neither was willing to touch the other from inside the trap. 

"You know," Kakashi slurred, "The more you pull the tighter it will get." The boys growled at their sensei.

Sai and Sasuke both knew how to get out, except they weren't exactly thrilled at the process. See, they had to move their arms closer together so that they could focus their chakra flows and make them in sync (A/N: hahaha in sync…) with each other. Only then would the trap weaken and allow them to break free. Kakashi thought this was a wonderful way to demonstrate teamwork. If they could get this basic fundamental of synchronizing team chakra down, then the doors would fly open for them. Err, well, hypothetically of course.

"Move your fingers to the right." Sasuke commanded.

"No, you move yours to the left." Sai retorted.

"Just shut up and listen to me."

" Since when are you the boss?"

"You two must be very fond of each other," Kakashi remarked as he glanced over at them. "This is a very simple task, and both of you are making this last longer than it should. Perhaps this is just an excuse for you to spend more time with each other, ne?"

Sai and Sasuke nearly doubled over at Kakashi's comment, both beginning to turn green in the face. "That is the worst assumption anyone could make."

The jounin smirked and buried his nose back into his beloved, orange novel. His two pupils were making good progress in his opinion. Yes, this arguing was "progress." Originally, the two had opted for other methods of freedom, from trying to incinerate the trap to clawing their ways out. None of them worked. Well, at least now they were beginning to agree with each other.

"I don't see why anyone would want to spend time with you." Sai said.

"Because your damned eyes are always closed. How the hell do you see through them? They're so small- it's like little paper cuts."

"At least my hair doesn't look like a chicken's ass."

Sasuke growled at the artist nin and hurled a snap kick at his back. As a result, the obsidian haired nin grunted and fell forward, dragging the Uchiha with him. Both landed unceremoniously on the rugged grass, snarling and glaring at the other. Kakashi perked up from his seat and smiled. "Ah, Sasuke has just given me two wonderful examples." The jounin walked up to them. "Theoretically, if one member of the team falls then he drags the others with him." His one visible eye crinkled at the two scowling boys. "Another example: if one member of the team _betrays_ the others, then they _all_ fall." Kakashi's face darkened by several degrees as he stared intently at his two male students. Both pairs of eyes were now focused on the jounin, half filled with wonder and half filled with frustration. Why did the silver-haired jounin put so much emphasis on that last phrase?

"What, do you think we're going to betray Konoha or something?" Sai joked.

"It could happen, Sai," Kakashi said with a hint of coldness in his voice. "It's been done before. But, Konoha doesn't take too kindly to its traitors."

"Aa," Sasuke said as he brought himself up. Sai followed suit.

"Now, you boys get back to your training. Don't want to be here all day, do we?"

The boys nodded and went back to work… the arguing came only seconds later. Kakashi sighed and took some cotton out from a pouch and stuffed it in his ears. There, all better. He smiled and proceeded to read his book again. '_Heehee, Jiraiya you write the best novels. Oh, oh my…_'

* * *

Sakura raised a nimble, wan hand to lift her signature tresses out of her eyes. Just because people couldn't see her hair didn't mean it couldn't get all tangled in front of her face from time to time. Her nostrils were instantly invaded by the calming aroma of a forest waiting to be traveled. She saw several tourists walk past her and gaze at Konoha in wonder, eagerly taking in the sights. Few opted to just slouch away and head for the nearest bar. Overall, it was a humble and hospitable city. Sakura pulled up the knapsack on her back and sat on a concrete bench with Hinata. The Hyuuga girl was saying her final goodbyes before her friend had to leave for the mission. As they talked, a figure quietly crept up behind them. 

"Sakura-chan!" it shouted as it wrapped its arms around her shoulders.

"Gah, what the hell!" sputtered the pink-haired nin. Whoever that person was, she was going to kill them. Inside her mind, Naiteki was busy scrambling around as she attempted to calm her frenzied heart. '**_That freak just gave me a flipping stroke!_**'

White eyes widened at the figure. "N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata whispered, shrinking back in her jacket.

The said boy grinned. "Hey Hinata-san!"

Hinata only squeaked and hid her face in the collar of her jacket, desperately trying to control the magenta color that appeared at her cheeks.

"Get off me!" Sakura yelled as she slapped the blonde away. "You're cutting off my blood supply."

"Aw," Naruto pouted, "Sakura-chan, I was only trying to be nice." He looked up at her with puppy dog eyes, his lip quivering ever so lightly. She sighed. Honestly, Naruto could be a real child sometimes. '_Err, well, all the time actually_.'

"I'm sorry for being mean." Sakura grumbled as she pet him on the head. He grinned. Hinata watched with a tinge of jealousy forming in her heart.

"Yay! Thank you, Sakura-chan!" With that last note, he took a seat next to Hinata. "So, what's up Hinata-san?"

The Hyuuga girl could only squeak and burrow into her jacket. Hinata was too embarrassed to even breathe around the childish genin. With every passing second, her face turned a deeper shade of red. Sakura swore that the Hyuuga heiress even invented two new colors. The Haruno girl nudged her friend in the arm. "Talk to him," she whispered, "Tell him why we're here."

The Hyuuga heiress shook her head vigorously, her white eyes pleading Sakura not to force her. Sakura frowned and stepped on Hinata's foot. "Eep!"

"Hinata-san?" Naruto's ears perked up in wonder.

Hinata shot a furious glare at her best friend and turned back towards the blonde. Her breath was literally caught in her throat and it looked as if she was about to faint. "U-um, w-we were…"

Just then, three all too familiar figure burst into the room, two of them causing quite a ruckus while the other tried to calm them. '**_Oh no._**' Hinata threw her hands up and silently thanked the lord for this much needed interruption.

"Are you blind? I'm not the homo; you're the one who's always trying to grab the dickless wonder's ass every time we train."

"Well why are you looking there anyways?" A male with spiky, raven hair snorted.

"Aha," Sai pointed, "You didn't deny the fact that you try to grab his crotch, therefore _you_ are the gay."

"What the fuck is your problem with homosexuality?"

"Oh I don't hate them. It's just that-"

Sasuke cut in. "You don't hate them because you _are_ one."

Sai narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat. "Haha, very funny."

"Kids, kids," a much older jounin stepped into the conversation and placed his gloved hands between the snarling boys, "Calm down. We're just about to head out for our first mission. You can beat the crap out of each other when we get back."

"Kakashi-kun!" a voice called out to the jounin. His single, ebony eye flickered as he saw a familiar hooded figure wave frantically at him. Sai and Sasuke ceased their struggling and stopped to see their female teammate approach them. "Ready to go?"

"Reeaaaddyy!" Naruto yelled as he pulled up his backpack for all his teammates to see. Unfortunately, it was upside down and all the contents fell out. About 5/6 of it was ramen. "Oh… heehee." He scratched his head sheepishly. Sakura's features softened, Hinata giggled, and the other three males sweat dropped. '**_Oh Naruto. What are we going to do with you?_**'

"Alright, let's meet our client. He should be here in about… now."

"U-um," Hinata fidgeted with her fingers. "I-I guess I'll b-be going now… G-Good luck Sakura-chan." Sakura smiled and waved at her friend's retreating back.

Up ahead, an elderly man with an astonishingly firm build approached them. He was dressed as a simple, impoverished village man; a straw hat and some ragged clothes his bearings. In his cracked hands he held a worn bottle of sake from which he drank generously. He scanned them with semi-bloodshot eyes. "Eh, so this is it then?"

"Yup, we're your new body guards!" Naruto shouted boisterously. He saluted the old man.

"Dobe."

"Dickless idiot."

Sakura sighed and slapped her wide forehead. Tazuna sweat dropped. "Eh, are you sure these _kids_ are capable of such a mission?"

Kakashi smiled and pat Naruto's head, earning a "Hey!" from his blonde pupil. "Don't worry, Tazuna-san. These genin are exceptionally strong and talented. I think they will fair well in this mission."

"Hn, alright," he said as he began to walk outside the village gates. Team seven followed thereafter. As soon as they left the village gates, Sakura's sense were assaulted by the wondrous beauty of the outside wilderness. Truly, she had never once stepped foot outside of the quaint little village, because Konoha already had training forests she could use. But those forests were groomed, gardened, and designed specifically for ninja. These woods, the ones residing outside of the city, were wild and uncharted, growing to their heart's desire and charming passer bys with their own natural beauty. Sakura giggled as she poked around the area, taking in the sights for the very first time.

The boys stared at her in wonder as she ran back and forth, pointing at trivial things such as underbrush. "Hey, hoody-kid," Tazuna frowned, "What's up with your sightseeing? We're just outside your village."

Sakura frowned. She didn't take too lightly on the nickname he had dubbed her with. "I know that," Sakura said, "But I've never been outside the village before. This is my first time, and my first C-level mission!" She then proceeded on in her sightseeing.

At that last statement, Tazuna stopped abruptly and froze. His gray head was cast towards the dirt-ridden road as his shoulders tensed. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his behavior. '_What's up with him?_'

'**_This is going to be so awesome! Cha!_**' Naiteki stuck an imaginary fist in the air. Honestly, this was Sakura's first official C-level mission. The girl was able to complete missions way beyond her expectations, such as A-level or solo B-leveled ones. Naiteki was an incredibly powerful force and helped a lot in training. She was strong enough to complete missions, but never really got assigned one until now.

Sakura skipped lightly on the worn path as Naruto trailed behind her, asking curious questions as to why she was so excited. Sai and Sasuke smiled at the girl, but of course Sai's was a fake one…. Or was it? Tazuna and Kakashi were busy discussing terms and mission schedule, with Tazuna occasionally tensing up and acting a bit uncomfortable. This queer behavior did not pass unnoticed by the jounin.

'_I hope_,' Tazuna thought, '_That they'll be able to live through this mission… Let's pray that they're strong enough to face **them**_.'

* * *

Hehe... sorry I tok so long! I was kind of busy... anyway, for the fans of Condemned, I'm having a little writer's block with that too. Sorry! Hehe... well anyways, reviews! no flames! no! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me if you hate this story.

**Author's Note: **Nobody figure out the song from Chapter One, so I'll just tell you what it was. The song was called "La Lettre" by Lara Fabian. There you go- now you can download it and listen to it while you read Chapter One again! Yay!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Sakura stared up at the darkened khaki mesh of the tent she was currently residing in. A military style blanket was laid snugly about her shoulders as she gazed through the tent material and to the glimmering stars above. She solemnly pulled herself up and rested her chin on her knees, her mind deep in thought.

Night had fallen a few hours after they departed Konoha and Kakashi had decided for them to camp in this small clearing. Unfortunately, they had only brought three tents with them. So, to solve the problem, Kakashi decided that his four pupils would have to share a tent. Of course this decision was not met without a huge amount of opposition from Sakura's side.

**Flashback **

"_Are you kidding me?" Tazuna asked bewilderedly. They sat around a dim little campfire and were about to get ready for bed. "What kind of ninja doesn't bring the bare necessities of a tent with him?"_

_Naruto laughed sheepishly and rubbed his tummy. "Well, I brought a blanket…"_

_Kakashi sighed. Three tents. That's all there was. One from him, Tazuna, and Sakura. '_At least I taught _her_ how to survive in the wilderness._'_

'**Ha! We have our own tent, we have own tent, na na na na na na!**_' Inner Sakura did a little chicken dance._

"_Hey, Uchiha," Sai motioned toward the boy who was glaring at them. "You're rich aren't you? Why didn't you just buy some tents for all of us?"_

"_Shut up," Sasuke snapped, "I wouldn't buy anything for you."_

_The silver haired jounin leaned forward and rubbed his brows, allowing a huge sigh to escape his lips. Ever since they left the village, his three male students had been insulting and arguing with each other for the past four hours, and it was driving him nuts! How the hell was Sakura able to put up with them? He glanced over at his "adoptive" daughter and noticed that she was "hyperventilating." He guessed she was trying that inhaling and exhaling stress-relieve technique he taught her._

"_Gah! Look at all the mosquitoes!" Naruto whined as he swatted them away with a rolled up piece of paper. He yelped as all the swatting caused him to fall off his log._

"_Nice one, dickless."_

_Naruto pulled himself up and growled, pointing a kunai dangerously at Sai. Tazuna sweat dropped. These nin were supposed to be well trained, and yet they were arguing like little five year olds. All of a sudden he didn't feel safe anymore..._

"_Fuck, I stepped in shit." Sai grabbed a stick and tried to scrape the feces off._

_Wow. That was random. Suddenly, Kakashi got an idea. His tousled, silver head abruptly snapped upward, the outline of a sly grin visible from under his mask. _"_Aha!" he said. "I know how this'll work. See, Tazuna-san will get his own tent, and I will too. Sakura-chan, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai will share the last." He smiled._

"_WHAT!" Sakura screeched._

'**WHAT!**_' Naiteki hollered._

"_No," Sakura threw her hands up, "Oh no, I am **not** sleeping in the same tent as them. They'll keep me up all night!"_

"_Sakura-chan, please," Kakashi groaned, "Naruto is going to whine if he has to sleep outside with mosquitoes, and Sai and Sasuke will get annoyed by it and start arguing again."_

_The hooded female snarled from under her mask of shadow. "No."_

_The 22 year old could sense her intense repugnance. If this was going to work out, he needed to be firm. "Sakura-chan, this is **not** an offer. This is a **command**." He looked at her the way a strict teacher would._

'**NNOOOOOOOOOOO!**_' Inner Sakura melted._

_She huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine," she answered meekly, "But they have to sleep in the corners." She then stomped off and created little craters with each and every angered step she took. Tazuna and the boys cringed slightly._

**End Flashback **

And so now here she was, Haruno Sakura, sleeping in a tent with three of the most annoying males in the world. She sighed and let her lime eyes drift over to her slumbering companions. To her right, an upside down Naruto was stretched out all over the place, his foot jammed up against an aggravated Sai's chin. The artist ninja grumbled in his sleep and constantly swatted the offending foot away. Sakura giggled. On her left was Sasuke, sleeping peacefully on his side, his back turned away from the rest.

'_The moon looks so pretty tonight_,' Sakura thought, "_what do you think Naiteki?_'

'_**Mhmm. Hey, listen, I just got a great idea! Why don't we write "X - BURIED TREASURE" in random spots on Kakashi's maps?**_'

'_Haha no_.'

Sakura felt a yawn form in her throat and arched her back, letting the yawn do its thing. She stretched her arms up and moaned softly. She then snuggled back down into her blanket and rolled over on her side, letting her eyes slowly droop from lack of sleep. Behind her, Sakura heard Sai grumble in his sleep and shift to a different position. A few moments past and the strawberry-haired nin was just about to fall asleep when she felt something drape itself around her waist.

Her eyes snapped open. "What the-?" She peered behind her and saw a familiar obsidian haired boy snuggle his face into her back, his arm wrapped protectively about her torso. Her face flushed a rich maroon shade. "Sai?" He merely grumbled and snuggled closer to her. "Eep!" Sakura squeaked and tried to move his arm.

Sakura grunted as she felt a force slam her over a few inches. She looked over and saw that Naruto had rolled over onto Sai and was using the artist nin's leg as a teddy bear. "Mmm, Sakura-chan, I'll protect you…" he said as he caressed his cheek against Sai's leg.

'_**HAHAHAHA!**_' Naiteki doubled over in her sleeping bag. Sai sensed that Naruto was molesting his leg and shivered against Sakura.

Suddenly, another object snaked its way about her waist and felt another head bury itself in the crook of her neck. A flash of raven told her it was Sasuke. He was sleeping soundly, his breath lightly fanning her exposed neck. Sakura shivered as he caused a peculiar sensation to tremor through her body.

"C-Come on, you guys," Sakura whispered, not knowing if they were awake or not. "Move. I don't have any space."

All she received in reply was a snort as Sasuke curled up closer to Sakura and threw a leg possessively over hers, his grip on her waist tightening. The slumbering Sai seemed to notice competition as he too burrowed nearer to the green-eyed female, one of his legs started to tangle itself with Sakura's. She blushed furiously and tried to squirm away from them. The boys nuzzled closer to her neck, their lips hovering so very close to her skin. The strawberry haired nin didn't know what to do- it was almost as if the boys were fighting over her in their sleep.

"Sakura…" Sai breathed. He was sleep talking. Nonetheless, that didn't stop Sakura's face from turning a deeper ruby color. '_Ew, he's dreaming about me._' Inner Sakura was gagging.

"Ramen…" Sakura giggled. She definitely knew who that was. Naruto licked Sai's shoe- the one that stepped in crap. Naiteki died laughing. Sakura decided that maybe she should just go to sleep and hope they would move later on. "Goodnight, you three." And with that she drifted to the hands of sleep.

A few minutes passed and a familiar raven haired boy cracked open a single eye. His handsome face softened at her tender figure. "Goodnight, Sakura." Hesitating, Sasuke lightly pecked her forehead and resumed his slumber.

* * *

Naruto marched in front of the group as he raised a confident hand in front of him, cautiously searching for any signs of muggers or robbers heading their way. Sakura sweat dropped at him. A few bags were under her eyes from lack of sleep. Tazuna looked a little jumpy as well. Sharp, blue eyes scanned the perimeters and pulled out a kunai. Sakura adjusted her hood so nobody would see her yawn. 

"Naruto, there's nothing there. Get back over here." Sasuke said.

"Hold on, I think I see something!" His face scrunched up as he squinted at a nearby bush. "Aah……… THERE!" The blonde threw a kunai at a twitching bush, causing the oddly nervous Tazuna to jump. A squeal came from the bush as Sakura leaned closer to inspect what it really was.

She sweat dropped and pulled up a twitching, fluffy, white bunny. Huge, anime tears streamed down its face as it shivered at the kunai, which was lodged dangerously close to its ears. "Aw, poor thing," she said as she gently pet it.

'_**Naruto, that was just a bunny you idiot!**_' Naiteki bonked a Naruto dummy on the head and pretended to cuddle the scared rabbit. '_**Getting us all worked up and scared over nothing.**_'

Hold on a minute… Kakashi and Sakura both stared suspiciously at the bunny. This bunny was white, and they are only that color in the winter… it was now the middle of spring. This rabbit must have been raised in captivity… and only for one purpose.

"AAHH!" Naruto whined and ran over, snatching the twitching rabbit from Sakura, "I'M SO SORRY MR. BUNNY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT YOU!" His whining only caused the bunny to panic more, flailing from under the kitsune's crushing bear hug.

"Squeak!" The bunny used its huge teeth to bite Naruto's arm.

"Ow!" the boy snarled and dropped the rabbit, who hopped away.

"Nice one, dickless," Sai scoffed, "It was only a rabbit. Oh, and don't worry about rabies. I bet you already have them."

Naruto huffed and turned away. Sakura caught their eyes and turned away blushing, remembering what had happened last night.

Suddenly, Sakura felt two foreign chakra presences rise slowly behind them. She could tell Kakashi sensed it too by the way his eyes narrowed and his steps flinched slightly. The strawberry haired kunoichi slowed her pace to match his. "Something's not right…"

Exactly at the moment she had whispered those words, two chains came shooting out of nowhere and bound themselves to Sakura and Kakashi. "What the-?"

Two ninja appeared from the shadows and smirked at them. Kakashi realized that they were missing nin by the way that their forehead protectors had a slash through them. Sakura cried out as the sharp chains dug deeper into her flesh, drawing out little droplets of blood. Sasuke and Sai's eyes widened as they took a hesitant step towards their teammate and sensei. "Ready?" one of the nins gave his chain a little tug.

_**'HOLY SHIT!**_' Sakura fumbled for a kunai or tool of some sort to release them.

"Go." They then ran in opposite directions at full speed. Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, and Tazuna watched in horror as Sakura and Kakashi were cut apart ruthlessly, the remainder of their bodies dropping on the ground with a sickening thump. Tazuna gagged and turned to vomit in a bush while the boys fought to keep their breakfasts down.

The missing nin then turned towards Naruto, who stood paralyzed with fear. "Ha, scared are we?" he cackled at the shivering kitsune. "Oh well, I'll just make this quick and painless." Naruto's eyes widened as he fought to move. An arm, a leg, it didn't matter. He just needed to do something! Suddenly, a kunai flashed in front of the chuunin, stopping him from advancing any closer to Naruto.

"What the? Who shot that?" he growled. He looked over to see a dark Sasuke.

"You'll pay for what you did."

"Ha, like you can do any harm to us, you worthless genin."

The Uchiha's eyes flashed a deadly red for a split second as he sprinted toward one of the nins, three kunai drawn and ready to attack. He threw them and managed to pin his chains to a nearby tree. While the chuunin was struggling to get free, Sasuke launched himself at the nin and punched him in the stomach.

"Oof!" his eyes widened in pain as the Uchiha brought a kunai dangerously close to his jugular.

"_Never_, mess with an Uchiha."

His victim's eyes expanded more as he called out to his friend for help. "Hey, a little help here!"

As his friend pursued Sasuke, Sai cut him off midway and threw four shuriken at him. The missing nin ducked and in turn, Sai brought his knee up and kicked him in the chin. As the nin went flying toward a tree, Sai whipped out his scroll and brush and painted a bear. The chuunin was too crafty to be kicked into a tree and put his legs underneath him, allowing him to leap off the tree. He rushed toward Sai and met the bear halfway.

Naruto watched, his body shivering ever so lightly. There were his two teammates, each putting up adecent fight against nin that was a whole level above them, and yet he couldn't do anything to help! He was just standing there, paralyzed with fear. The nins just seemed so gruff, so intimidating... It was nothing like training back in Konoha.

Suddenly, the nin that Sasuke had pinned to a tree broke free and threw the Uchiha to the floor. "You piece of shit, I'll teach you to mess with me!" He held above his head aclawed handand stomped a foot on top of Sasuke to keep him in place. Sasuke suddenly rolled away quickly and stood up. He performed a few hand seals and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Dammit, where'd he go?"

"Right here." the raven haired boy appeared behind the man and exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks with him.

Elsewhere, Sai and his nin were locked in a heated struggle, so he was unable to assist his teammate. Obsidian eyes quickly glanced at his other blonde teammate. "Hey, dickless wonder! Stop standing there and help!" No sooner had he said those words did the chuunin he was battling turn into a log. "What the hell?"

"Looking for me?" the chuunin reappeared behind Tazuna and held a claw against his throat. "Say your prayers old man!"

Naruto watched in horror. _'Dammit, move stupid body! Your client is gonna get killed, and probably you too! Move, stupid, MOVE!_'

Just as the missing nin lunged forward, a blur suddenly came racing out from nowhere and knocked the chuunin to the ground. It then picked up the groaning nin and hurled him at his teammate, relieving Sasuke of his burden. "Thanks," he said.

"B-but," Naruto sputtered, "That wasn't me..."

"Hey," a new voice entered the conversation: a girl's.

Who was-? The boys looked over and saw a person sporting a hood that covered half of their face, and some baggy clothes, "Sakura!"

"Bingo." she smirked. _**'Hahaha! And here's our heroic appearance! Cha!**_' The boys looked bewilderedly at her and back at her "remains", where the nins had killed her earlier. There they found a pile of logs. Before they had time to react, one of the nins awoke and charged at Sakura. Sasuke saw and rushed forward, placing himself between her and the nin, a kunai drawn and ready to defend.

But before the nin could reach them another figure appeared.

He grabbed the chuunin's clawed hand and twisted it behind his back. He then bludgeoned the nin's face with a chakra-powered fist and threw him unconscious on top of his partner.

Sakura smiled at him. "Right on time, Kakashi-kun!"

"Yo." he lifted a few fingers in greetings.

"Wait," Tazuna finally found his voice again, all the while watching the battle in mute horror. "But I thought you two were dead?"

"If you'll notice, Tazuna-san," Kakashi motioned, "It's just a pile of logs now. We used a replacement jutsu- it's actually a very handy tool in combat that can get you out of a sticky situation."

"Aa," Sasuke and Sai said.

"Now come on," the silver haired jounin spoke, "Let's tie these guys up so don't cause any more trouble as it is."

* * *

"Well, you guys did a good job today. Sai, Sasuke wonderful work on taking care of those nins." Kakashi congratulated them. 

Naruto scowled. He knew that he hadn't done anything in the battle except stare like a frightened child, but it still hurt his pride that he didn't receive any type of recognition from Kakashi-sensei.

"Hey," Sasuke started. Naruto looked up. "You okay, scaredy cat?"

"Yeah, aren't going to wet your pants now, are you?" Sai sneered.

The kitsune was instantly struck bytheir words and looked down, his face darkening as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Sakura looked worriedly at him as he slowly pulled out a kunai and pointed it at his hand. "Naruto?"

A cry suddenly filled the air as the Uzumaki boy pierced his own flesh with his kunai, letting the blood drip to the floor. The rest of the people watched with wide eyes. "I swear," he said with a shaky voice, "I swear on this oath, sealed with my own blood, that I, Uzumaki Naruto,will not run form the next battle or any others. I will face them head on and take any challenges thrown my way, but I will _never _back down. _Never_."

"Wow..." Kakashi said, "Naruto, that speech was touching and all but... you're going to die if you don't get that wound fixed."

The said boy's jaw dropped anime style. "OH MY GOD! GAH! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" he ran around in frantic, little circles. "SAVE ME, HELP ME, ANYBODDYYY!"

_**'Idiot, don't cut yourself and then whine about it!**_'

Sai and Sasuke scoffed at him while Kakashi and Tazuna sweat dropped. "Here," Sakura sighed, "Let me see." Naruto whimpered and offered his booboo to her. As she examined it, her eyes widened slightly as the cut glowed and slowly began to heal itself. _'Kyuubi..._'

As soon as they were done, they were off again. Tazuna drifted towards the back of the group and walked next to Kakashi, listening to the jounin drone on about the mission status. Sakura plugged her ears as the boys fought over some trivial things. They walked on; not knowing the hardest part of the mission was yet to come.

* * *

Sorry for late update. Writer's block. Teehee. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me if you hate this story.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Sakura and Naruto yawned as they sat beside each other, watching Kakashi give medical attention to Sai and Sasuke. Sai was busy insulting Sasuke, as usual, and the Uchiha was just glaring at him. '_Someday, his face will be permanently glued like that_.' Sakura sighed. There really was nothing to do but watch them argue, and it was really boring. Soon, both of the genins' eyes began to droop from exhaustion. Sakura closed her eyes and fell asleep on Naruto's shoulder, as did he.

* * *

Naiteki stared out at the empty space in front of her. Darkness. Everything was darkness. She too was just a figure shrouded in shadow, illuminated by onlya faint silver outline. She looked just like Sakura, except a bit fainter and with more of a wild appearance. Naiteki sighed and pulled her knees close to her chest, resting her chin on them. 

A pause followed thereafter. She felt another presence appear behind her.

"…"

"…It's been a while, Kyuubi."

Somewhere, in the more dark recesses of the area, the frame of a male smirked and stepped forward. "It has, Naiteki."

She smiled at him and patted the spot next to her, motioning to him to sit down. He did as she told. "How have you been?"

"Fine," he said while lying down, letting his crimson tresses pool around his face. "What about you?"

The two demons were currently linked in a telepathic connection. Since Naruto's and Sakura's heads were so close together, they were able to establish a temporary link. See, the brain transmits signals while you sleep- along with chakra waves, so with a little manipulation the two demons were able to synchronize their container's minds for a short time. The link would last as long as Sakura and Naruto were asleep and kept their heads close to each other.

"I've been doing well," Naiteki replied, "It's just that sometimes Sakura really stresses me out."

Kyuubi chuckled, "You think _you_ have it bad? I swear Naruto is going to send me to an early grave."

She giggled and cocked her head towards him. Naiteki had to admit, Kyuubi was sure a handsome demon. He had somewhat long, crimson hair that fell about to his shoulders, with bangs that partially covered his face and narrow,golden eyes to die for. Naiteki felt a little heat creep up in her cheeks and buried her head deeper in her knees.

"What's wrong?" he raised a single, perfectly-shaped eyebrow at her.

"Nothing," she squeaked. "Hehe."

His eyebrow rose a little higher but just turned away and hid a small smile that had begun to form on his lips.

"So…" Naiteki traced little circles on the ground, "I noticed you showed yourself today when you healed Naruto's cut."

"Pbfft, I've healed worse. One time he believed he could fly and taped two pieces of feathered cardboard to his arm and then jumped off the top of a tree."

Inner Sakura couldn't help but burst out in a fit of giggles. "He did _that_? Oh my god, I knew he was silly but I didn't know he was _that_ oblivious." She clutched her stomach as she envisioned Naruto on top of a tree with cardboard taped to him, proclaiming he could "fly." Kyuubi's golden eyes softened at her.

"Yeah," he sat up, "Does Sakura ever cause you any trouble?"

"Eh, not as much as Naruto," Naiteki straightened her hair, "But yeah she does get me frustrated now and then. She always goes out wearing that darned hood and baggy clothes, even if it's like 4,000 degrees outside. She's a really lovely girl and a great person, but she just doesn't want to show it."

"Why does she do that?" asked Kyuubi. Naiteki's mood fell suddenly. The fox demon quirked an eyebrow at her and leaned closer. "Hey, are you okay?"

"It's my fault," Naiteki continued, "Sakura's afraid that if she gets too close to anyone and they find out that I live inside her, they might fear her and hate her. She believes that I might accidentally go on a rampage or something."

"Don't worry about it," Kyuubi replied, "It's just a sign that she cares about people."

"I guess," she sighed. It was hard to believe that the bloodthirsty nine-tailed fox that everyone feared was this same demon- he seemed so kind and gentle now. Being locked inside Naruto and seeing everything through his eyes gave him a new perspective on life, but his old power-hungry self was still in there somewhere and could be brought out by the slightest hint of blood.

Suddenly, Kyuubi perked up. "Hey, remember when everyone was introducing themselves about a month ago?" Naiteki nodded. "What did Sakura mean by 'finding one thing and letting go of another'?"

"Oh," the shadow of Sakura looked away, "…She wants to find her parents, or what happened to them. She was found abandoned at the age of four and Kakashi had taken her in. All her life it's been tormenting her. And the thing she wants to let go of is… me."

"I see," Kyuubi sighed, "Yeah, I understand that. Naruto would be better off if I left him too. But sadly, we can't leave our containers without killing them."

"I know."

The two demons sighed and just sat there next to each other for a while. Kyuubi felt more at ease than he did in a long time. It was nice talking to someone else other than Naruto for once. Sure Kyuubi and Naiteki had crossed paths before since they were both very powerful demons; however, they never really had time to just sit down and chat like they did now. Usually, they would battle. After a few moments, the fox demon sat up.

"I'd better get going now," he said, "And you should too."

Naiteki nodded; a hint of sadness in her eyes. "We'll get to talk again soon, right?"

His face softened at her. "Yeah,I promise." She smiled at him. "Well, take care," Kyuubi said. His golden eyes darted about awkwardly as he stood in front of the demon girl. Then, he quickly bent down and brushed his lips against hers.

Naiteki's eyes widened. "K-Kyuubi?" She felt an immense amount of heat begin to crawl up her neck and cheeks.

"I'll see you later," he called as he disappeared in the shadows. As soon as he left, Inner Sakura dropped to her feet and stared at the spot where he once stood, a hand reaching out to touch her lips.

"H-He… kissed me?"

"…"

"**HELL YES**! HAHAHAHA!" Naiteki punched the air and pranced around in joy. "CHA!"

* * *

"Ow," Sakura grumbled as she bolted upright from her sleep. She hissed and grabbed her head. As she did so, her hand accidentally slapped Naruto in the face. He yelped and fell off the log. 

"Nani?" he sat up bewilderedly, "I didn't do anything!" Kakashi, Sai, Sasuke, and Tazuna looked up at them.

"Ow," Sakura massaged her temples, "Naiteki, what are doing up there? Throwing a party?"

"Sakura?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you… talking to yourself?"

"Err, no." She quickly pushed Naiteki to the back of her mind. It took a bit of effort since Inner Sakura had somehow managed to conjure up an imaginary conga line. As she did so, Sakura's face contorted a bit as she concentrated. Unfortunately, this didn't pass unnoticed by Sai.

"Hey ugly,"he called, "Are you constipated?" He was silenced when a rock flew in his direction.

* * *

Kakashi sat stoking the fire as he read his precious Icha Icha Paradise. Tazuna merely stared at him in disgust. How could a _teacher_ be reading that… _stuff_ so publicly? 

"Tazuna-san," the copy ninja said, not once taking his eyes off the book, "Why were those chuunin after you?"

The elderly man's breath caught in his throat.

"Our original mission was a C-class one, and in it we were told that we were to protect you from robbers or muggers, not ninja. If that were the case, we would have ranked this mission B or higher." He looked over the book at the now trembling Tazuna. "What's really going on here? If you don't tell, I'm afraid we'll have to abort this mission right here."

He sighed. "Fine. I'll spill. See, back in my country, we're trying to build a bridge that will connect us to the mainland. Do you know who Gato is?"

"Gato? Yes I've heard of him. The great shipping mogul."

"That whole shipping business is just a cover up for something more terrible. Gato is actually the head of an underground syndicate that consorts in things such as drugs and illegal imports. He controls all the waterways outside my village, and has created a monopoly by isolating our village, which in turn has turned us into a sickly, impoverished nation. If that bridge is built, the monopoly will be ruined and he'll lose everything."

"I see," Kakashi said. "So he wants to get you, head bridge builder, out of the picture so the bridge construction will stop."

"Exactly. Coming from a poor nation, I didn't have much money to pay for a B-class or higher mission so I had to resort to making it a C-classed one."

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" the silver haired jounin sighed as he continued reading his book. "All you had to do was tell what was going on."

"You're still going to help me?" Tazuna looked at him incredulously, "Even after I lied to you?"

"A mission's a mission," Kakashi said, "Even if it's out of the required fields."

* * *

The party walked through the forest, the thickets of which seemed to get denser and denser. They could hear a river nearby, and a few birds chirping as they flew from tree to tree. Sakura looked a bit worried. Ever since last night Naiteki had sort of been in a daze, like she was daydreaming about something. _'Hey, Naiteki? Are you in there? Heelloooo?'_

suddenly, Kakashi froze in his steps. '_Something's coming_.' A faint whizzing sound reached his ears. His eyes widened. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" he yelled. Instantly, all six of them ducked and heard a loud, thump above them, like something large had lodged itself inside a tree.

They looked up and saw a large blade, probably as wide as the tree itself, lodged dangerously close to them. They grew more horrified when they saw a person materialize on the sword. He glared at them, face partially hidden by a cloth mask. His forehead protector had a slash through it, signifying he was as missing nin from the Village hidden in the Mist. He smirked when he saw Kakashi.

"Well, well, if it isn't the great copy ninja Hatake Kakashi himself. Hand over the old man."

"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi growled, "Sakura, Sasuke, Sai, Naruto, watch Tazuna!"

"Hai!" they said as they surrounded the old man in a square formation. A dense mist began to surround them. "Where did this come from?"

"I'll need this," Kakashi said as he pulled up his forehead protector, revealing a crimson eye with three coma-like marks in the iris. Sasuke's eyes widened. T-That was… the Sharingan! But only members of the Uchiha clan possessed that trait. Could Kakashi be…?

Zabuza smirked at them and dislodged his sword. "Should have listened to me."

He then unleashed a war cry and rushed towards Kakashi. The copy ninja swiftly performed a few hand seals and appeared behind Zabuza, a kunai at his throat. "Don't move."

"Listen to your own advice," a voice smirked form behind him. Kakashi gasped and watched as the Zabuza in front of him melted into a puddle of water. A clone. Behind him was the real Zabuza, his enormous sword touching his neck.

Kakashi ducked and kneed the missing nin in the gut. Zabuza and he fought, leaping from tree to tree, fighting so fast it was all just a blur. The remainder watched with anticipation and was horrified when the battleground cleared and revealed that their sensei had been locked in a water prison.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled as he ran forward to save his teacher.

"No!" the jounin roared, "Naruto, stay back! Get back into your position!" But it was too late.

Another Zabuza clone had appeared behind Naruto. "Surprise."

The kitsune had no time to react as he was punched to the floor. The clone reached down and lifted the boy up again for another round of beating. Sasuke stepped forward and threw a handful of kunai at him. Zabuza smirked and caught all four of them without even looking. He then whirled around and threw them back at the Uchiha. As Sasuke blocked them, the clone reappeared behind him and kicked him to the ground.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled. Tazuna was stricken as he clutched his heart. Sai narrowed his eyes. Though his teammates were in trouble, he had to remain in his position and keep guard over Tazuna.

"Idiot," he snarled, "You think you're a ninja? All of you are nothing but worthless pieces of shit." He stomped on Sasuke, causing him to cry out and cough up a few drops of blood. Naruto shakily pulled himself up and aimed a kunai in front of him. Zabuza rolled his eyes and walked toward the blonde. He then bent down and ripped the forehead protector form the blonde's head and threw it to the ground, stomping on it with his foot. It began to crack. "Worthless. All of you will never know the true meaning of ninja."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw Zabuza perform another hand seal. He realized what jutsu was performing, and what he was going to use it for. "Sakura, Sai!" Kakashi hollered, "Watch out behind you!"

Another Zabuza clone reappeared in the center of the Sakura, Sai, and Tazuna trio. Their breathing hitched and they watched in mute horror as he prepared to slice them. "Sai, DUCK!" Sakura pushed both her teammate and her client to the ground, but she was a bit too slow in saving herself. All their eyes widened as they saw the sword graze her and heard the sound of something ripping and Sakura's scream. What happened? Did Zabuza manage to cut Sakura in half?

There was a pause as they watched the hooded nin fall to the ground. Sakura gripped the grass as her heart raced, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Suddenly, she felt herself become more panicky and her mind began to fog over in darkness. All of a sudden she stopped squirming.

"S-Sakura?"

There was a pause.

Her fingers twitched.

She rose steadily, her body pulling itself up with such grace. The Zabuza clone raised an eyebrow at her. Her chakra levels had suddenly skyrocketed. '_Interesting…_'

As soon as she reached her full height, Sakura started giggling. Giggling? What the hell? Did that blow give her brain damage or something? She slowly raised her head. As she did so, her hood fell off in two clean-cut pieces. It pooled around her legs like a gray puddle. So the sword only grazed her hood, cutting it in half.

Sasuke, Sai, and Naruto stared with their mouths agape. Her hood was finally off! And there before them stood a girl with cropped, pink tresses, and striking rose colored eyes. A few chakra strings were visible as she started giggling again.

"Well, that gave me quite a scare," she smirked at Zabuza.

Kakashi's eyes widened. That wasn't Sakura's normal voice. It sounded like two voices were talking, one was her regular voice and the other was something darker and more devious. And what was wrong with her eyes? They were…pink.

Sai narrowed his eyes. He knew what was happening.

Naiteki had taken over.

"Let's get this party started, shall we?" Sakura said. Without wasting a single second, she advanced toward the missing nin and landed a kick on his chest. He grabbed her by her ankle and twisted it, expecting to hear some kind of cry of pain. She merely smiled and used her other leg to snap kick him in the jaw. He growled and was pushed back a few feet. She pumped more chakra into her fists and ran towards him. Zabuza quickly rolled away right as she punched the spot where he used to be, leaving a decent sized crater.

She pouted. "Why'd you move? It would've been funner if you stayed in place."

"Bitch," he growled and reached behind his back for his Kubikiri Houcho. He swung it with great force and she just stood there.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto screamed, "Watch out!"

But she continued to stand glued to her spot. Chakra flowed into two of her fingers as she lifted them and used it to block the gigantic sword. Zabuza's eyes widened. "What the hell!"

'_Amazing_,' Sasuke stared, '_She's blocking his Kubikiri Houcho with just two fingers and chakra_.'

"My turn." She used his temporarily stunned disposition to grab his sword. She didn't even wince as the sharp side of the blade cut into her hand. Sakura then pumped chakra into her arms and used it to swing the gigantic sword around and slam Zabuza into a tree. Sakura pulled out a kunai and reappeared before him. With a smirk, she stabbed the shocked jounin. He cried out for a split second before melting into another puddle of water.

'_So_ _the Naiteki **is** a powerful demon. No wonder Orochimaru desires her so_.' Sai thought grimly.

Another chakra presence began to materialize in a treetop. This newcomer had a mask on and had the symbol for Village Hidden in the Mist engraved on the forehead section. He frowned as he saw Sakura finish off the Zabuza clone. '_That girl's too powerful. Zabuza's already depleted enough chakra fighting Kakashi, using the water prison, and conjuring the clones. We'll have to finish this later._' Quietly, he pulled out two senbon needles.

"Agh," she wiped her hands, "So much trouble for just one clone. And now, to take care of the _real_ one." She grinned madly at the real Zabuza.

"Bitch!" he yelled, "I'll kill you!" Suddenly, two senbon shot out of nowhere and pierced his neck. A strangled sound emitted from his throat as his eyes closed. The jounin fell to the ground, exterminating the water prison jutsu. Kakashi gasped as he fell into the river, along with Zabuza. The copy ninja dove down and dragged the missing nin up. He then swam to the shore where the others were waiting for them.

"Are you guys okay?" Naruto ran up to them. Sasuke, Sai, and Tazuna followed too.

"I'll take that," a boy with a mask stepped out from the shadows. He reached down and relieved the jounin of his heavy burden.

"Who are you?" Sasuke grew defensive.

Kakashi panted and looked up. "…A hunter nin."

"That's correct," the boy said, "My name is Haku. We've been searching for Zabuza Momochi for a while now, and we thank you for bringing him down for us. Well, I need to bring this body back to our village now, lest it expose some secrets. I do hope we meet again." Haku bowed deeply before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

They stared at the ground where the hunter nin stood. A sudden cough knocked them from their trance-like state.

Sakura coughed and doubled over. "I don't feel so good…" Her vision began to falter as her legs became weak. Sasuke caught her as she fell to the ground.

"Come," Kakashi said weakly, "We need to keep going. The Wave Village is only…a few…hours…" his voice trailed off as he too fell to the ground unconscious. Sai and Naruto ran up and lifted their teacher up.

"Teme," Naruto shook, "What happened to Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan?"

"They're just tired," Tazuna answered, "The battle took a lot out of them. We need to get them to my village so they can rest and have your wounds treated." The boys nodded and followed the bridge builder as they continued on. Sasuke hefted Sakura onto his back and felt her snuggle into his hair. His face softened. Maybe there was more to this girl than he thought…


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer-** No I don't own Naruto.

**Author's Note-** Ah, here is the next chapter! I would have updated sooner but I was just so eager to start **The Last Dance** (You should check it out, ne?) that I sort of put these off for a few days. And now I will clear a few things up.

1. Naiteki does know Shukaku and will meet him, but you have to wait to see what happens. Let's just say Kyuubi isn't thrilled. Bwahaha I'm so evil! (Is bonked on head.) DAMMIT, WHO KEEPS DOING THAT!

2. Itachi didn't kill the Uchiha clan- Orochimaru did. Sasuke wants power to kill whoever slaughtered his clan, which is Orochimaru, but Sasuke doesn't know that.

3. In the previous chapter, Sakura's eyes were pink because Naiteki had taken over. Now they're green and regular.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Sakura groaned and stirred lightly, feeling someone gently place something wet and cold on her forehead. She felt several people huddling over her, along with a few voices. Someone's calloused fingers lightly brushed a few bangs out from her face and tucked a blanket under her chin. Wait a minute… blanket? Sakura moaned again and forced her eyelids to flutter open, groggily taking in her surroundings.

'_**Oh god,**'_ Inner Sakura held an icepack to her head, '**_My brain is on fire…_**'

"Hey," a bright voice called, "She's awake! Sakura-chan, how are you feeling?"

"Dobe," a deep voice snorted, "Stop. Let her have some time to focus."

"Where am I?" Sakura sat up and rubbed her head. As the room came into focus, she saw Sasuke, Naruto, Sai, and Tazuna all huddled around her bedside, along with an unfamiliar woman. She noticed that Sai and Sasuke were staring at her with intent eyes, while Naruto drooled. She cocked her head and attempted to get up but Tazuna pushed her back down.

"Don't try and get up," he commanded, "You're still tired. Rest some more."

"But where are we?"

"You're at my house," Tazuna said, "You and your sensei were exhausted from the fight and collapsed. We brought you here."

"Sensei?" the girl thought for a moment. Suddenly, the memories from earlier flooded back to her head. Everything, the fight with Zabuza, the release of Naiteki, the hunter nin, and her collapse. A draft came in through the window and rustled her pink locks. Wait… how could she feel that? Her hood would have blocked that out…

"AAAHHHH!" Sakura screamed and hurriedly pulled the blanket over her head. She remembered that Zabuza sliced off her beloved jacket, "DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

"Ah," Sai smirked, "So she finally realizes how ugly she really is." Sasuke and Naruto both shot glares at him.

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto perked up, "What are you doing? You look really, really, really pretty!"

"No!" she shoved them away and burrowed further under the blanket. "Y-You can't look at me," Sakura warned, "Stay back!"

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto pouted, "You're not ugly if that's what you're thinking. In fact, I think you're really, really, really pretty and-"

Sasuke chucked a book at the dobe's head, "She gets the point."

'**_Aww,_**' Naiteki grinned, '**_Naruto's so sweet._**'

Sakura blushed from under the covers. Naruto continued, "Well anyways there's nothing to be afraid of. We've seen what you look like, especially Sai. He's been staring at you for like three hours, and Sasuke-teme too. I think they like you but who cares because I'm obviously the better choice."

He was cut off as several kunai were flung at him and pinned him to the wall. "AIYEE!"

"Shut. Up. Dobe." Sasuke growled and clenched his fists.

"If you keep talking then a dick won't be the only thing you're missing," Sai smiled ever so sweetly.

Sakura giggled. Well, Naruto did have a point. The boys already saw what she looked like and there was no point in concealing it around them. Shyly, Sakura poked her head out from the mass of blankets.

"That's better," Tazuna sighed. He then introduced the unfamiliar woman, "This is my daughter Tsunami. We brought you here about a few hours ago, and don't worry about your sensei. He's in the other room. He woke up before you did but was too weak to get up."

"Oh," Naruto said, "By the way, Kakashi-sensei said he's going to give us a training session tomorrow."

"So early?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, "But isn't he exhausted?"

"Nonsense! Training will be fun!"

"No it won't," the stony voice of a young boy entered the conversation. They all looked over to see a boy standing in the doorway.

"Who are you?" Sasuke lifted an eyebrow.

"Inari!" Tazuna scolded, "Where have you been? I'm sorry, this is my grandson Inari."

"You should leave," Inari ignored his grandfather, "There's no way you'll beat Gato and his men."

"Don't speak to our guests like that," Tsunami chided her son, "After all, they were the ones who brought your grandfather back here safely."

"Whatever," he stormed off and left them all alone.

"That brat!" Naruto fumed, "What does he mean can't take Gato on? I'm freaking going to be the next Hokage!"

"Sure," Sai snorted, "And Sakura will become beautiful."

"Well," Tsunami picked up a few medical supplies, "I need to tend to Inari, now. If you need anything just tell me." She smiled and then headed out the door, leaving them to continue their talking…err, arguing.

* * *

The next morning Kakashi was feeling better and was able to get up, but not without the assistance of some crutches. He told his team to meet in the forest near Tazuna's home for some training, but being his 'adoptive' daughter, Sakura decided to stay behind and escort Kakashi out.

Soon they were at the clearing where they were supposed to meet, and found Sasuke, Sai, and Naruto already arguing. They sweat dropped.

"For your information, I do have a penis!" Naruto stomped his foot on the floor.

"Liar." Sai snorted.

"Shut up," Sasuke snarled.

"But I do have one! I'll even show it to you!"

Sai raised an eyebrow. He was really going to do it? Sasuke backed away. The now ego-inflated Uzumaki puffed up his chest and started to unzip his pants.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI, DON'T YOU DARE!" Sakura hollered as she entered the clearing.

'**_MY EYES!_**' Naiteki screamed, '**_AH! MY POOR VIRGIN EYES! THEY BLEED!_**'

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelped and hurriedly zipped his pants up, his face flushing so red that it looked like someone had placed him in a steamer. Sakura's eyebrow twitched and Kakashi's eye crinkled in mild amusement.

"If I'm still sane after their training, it will be a miracle."

"No!" Naruto whined, "It's not like that! Sai was the one who wanted to see it!"

"And you agreed to show him?" Sakura raised a single versatile brow.

"Erm…" he scratched his head.

Sasuke coughed, "Gay."

"It wasn't like that!" Naruto whined.

"Suuure," Sakura scooted away from all three of them.

After getting that all sorted out, Kakashi launched into a speech about how Zabuza was still alive and how anbu were able to fake death. He explained to them how the senbon pierced two nerves in the spinal column that sent the jounin in a coma-like state. The silver haired jounin stopped when he realized that the only one listening diligently was Sakura… the others were busy staring at her.

'_Sakura-chan's got cute pink hair…_' Naruto sighed dreamily.

'_There's something about her…_' Sasuke couldn't put his finger on it but just found something intriguing about his female teammate. For starters she was probably the only girl who didn't swoon at sight of him, and she contained far more power than he imagined.

Sai really wasn't thinking anything. He was just staring at the strawberry haired genin. Her hair, her face, even her body. Since her baggy clothes were so bloodstained, she was forced to ditch them. Now she sported a red tank top, mesh arm warmers, black spandex shorts, a tan overskirt, and regulation ninja sandals, along with a pair of mesh leg warmers. In her new attire and true identity, she looked…cute. And _not_ ugly. But Sai would willingly chop off his own balls before admitting it.

"Naruto," Kakashi snapped, "What is chakra?"

"Huh? What?" Naruto snapped up. He was busy daydreaming and drooling at Sakura. She flinched and scooted back a few inches.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his brows, "Sakura-chan, explain to him what chakra is."

"Chakra is the energy needed by a ninja to perform special ninja arts and technique called jutsu," she lectured, "Chakra is generated within the body by two elements, physical energy that comes from the body's cells and mind energy that is obtained through training and meditating." She ended it with a grin.

"Very good," their sensei's only visible eye crinkled. Sasuke and Sai cocked their heads at Sakura. Ever since her hood came off, she had been showing more emotion. They didn't know if they liked this Sakura better… but for some reason they couldn't take their eyes off her. Sakura seemed to catch them staring at her as well and winced.

"Now," Kakashi positioned himself in front of a tree, "I'm going to show you an exercise that will help hone your chakra skills. And all you have to do is climb up a tree."

"Climb a tree?" Naruto scoffed, "Pbfft, I can totally do that! Yeah!"

"Without using your hands," Kakashi finished.

Naruto's face paled. "…Uh…well… SURE! YEAH, I CAN STILL DO IT! THERE IS NOTHING TOO TOUGH FOR THE FUTURE HOKAGE!"

Sasuke and Sai cocked their heads. Now they were interested. "How do you do that?"

"Like this," Kakashi closed his eyes and performed a few hand seals. His feet glowed blue briefly and he raised a crutch and began walking up the tree. He did it so casually that it seemed as if he was walking on regular ground. "Every jutsu requires a certain amount of chakra to be focused on some part of the body, and this whole time you've been guessing the amount needed. The hardest place to concentrate chakra is at the soles of your feet, and if you can find the right amount of chakra needed for that part of the body, then every jutsu will be a piece of cake. Well, theoretically of course. Now you will be trying to climb up a tree. Use a kunai to mark your progress. Is everyone ready?"

"Hai." His students took their places in front of a tree.

"Go."

All four of them closed their eyes and focused chakra into their feet, trying to balance it out. Once ready, they all ran up their respective trees.

"AHH!" Naruto grunted and swiped the bark with his kunai. He groaned as he landed on the forest floor and looked up to see his progress.

Three feet.

Naruto sweat dropped. Beside him, Sai and Sasuke were matching each other's paces and made it about twenty feet up the tree before falling back on the floor. They grunted and weren't satisfied with their first try. Kakashi snickered at them.

"Hey," Naruto piped up, "Where's Sakura-chan?"

"Here!" a voice called up from high in the tree tops. "I'm at the top of the tree!"

All the boys' eyes widened. Was she serious?

'**_HAHAHA!_**' Naiteki smirked triumphantly, '**_Look at them! They're _gaping_! Hell yeah! Cha!_**'

Sasuke snorted and looked away, his Uchiha pride hurt because a girl managed to beat him. Sai crossed his arms, for once having no witty remark. Naruto cheered, "Yeah! Go Sakura! You're so awesome!"

"Thank you," she grinned as she leapt down from the tree. "I believe I'm done now, Kakashi-sensei."

"Very good," he smiled, "I'm surprised you got it on your first try. Well done." Sakura grinned and took a seat next to them. Sasuke, Sai, and Naruto huffed and began their ascent on the trees all over again.

* * *

Dinner rolled by quite swiftly and Kakashi and Sakura literally had to drag Sasuke, Sai, and Naruto away from the trees so they could go eat. Since Kakashi was in crutches, he got the "liberty" of taking Naruto, while Sakura got to handle Sasuke and Sai.

"Ow," Sai winced, "Ugly your fingers are burning my ear."

"Good." Sakura gave him a sickeningly sweet smile and tugged harder. In one hand, she was clutching Sasuke by the collar, and in the other she was gripping Sai's ear. "And if you don't shut up then this ear of yours is going to be flat." She gave him a threatening squeeze. Once they were back at Tazuna's house, Sakura dumped her teammates in two chairs and sat between them. Everyone was at the table, including Inari.

As soon as Tsunami had placed the food down and given them the okay to eat, Sai, Sasuke, and Naruto dug at it as if it were the last food they were ever allowed to have. Sakura flinched.

'**_What pigs._**' Naiteki made a face.

The boys wolfed down their rice and swallowed their soups without even chewing, and wolfing down their bread. Sakura sweat dropped when they asked for more and then threw up. "Don't eat if you're going to end up throwing it up later!"

Sai ignore her and fought to keep from gagging, "More please."

"I want to eat," Sasuke said while wiping his mouth.

"Because the more we eat the stronger we get, and then we can beat Ghetto or whatever his name is!" (A/N: Haha. Ghetto.)

Suddenly, Inari rose and pounded his fists on the table. "Why…Why do you insist on training? Why? You'll never beat Gato and his men! NEVER! STOP ACTING AS IF YOU CAN! GET OUT OF HERE. YOU'RE NO MATCH FOR THEM! THEY'LL KILL YOU!"

The genins opened their mouths to retort but Inari held an infuriated hand up to stop them, "Shut up! Don't try and say anything- because it's not going to help! You don't know what it's like here! You're always acting as if you're so strong and been through so much, BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THE LONELINESS AND SUFFERING I FELT AND HAD TO ENDURE! EVERYTHING IS JUST SUGAR AND PONIES FOR YOU! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT PAIN REALLY IS!"

Sakura and Naruto froze. He had definitely struck a chord. Both of their faces darkened.

"Inari!" Both Tazuna and Tsunami scolded him. But Sasuke, Sai, and Kakashi were busy studying Naruto and Sakura.

"Pain?" Sakura laughed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She spoke with a lowered tone, "Suffering? HA! Try having your parents abandon you like trash- try living with a demon inside of you that could kill everyone in an instant- you shut yourself off from people to protect them and yet they still torment you! You know what? I don't have to take this!" Sakura rose abruptly and stormed out of the house.

Naruto then took his turn, "You think being dramatic and depressive is going to get you anywhere? I'm impressed you can just sit and cry so well, you big baby!" he snarled and bolted out the door like Sakura.

Taken aback by their words, more tears welled up in Inari's face as he went out the back door. Tazuna ran a hand through his hair while Tsunami buried her head in her hands. This was so stressful. Kakashi looked at Sasuke and Sai, both of whom nodded and went after Sakura and Naruto. The silver haired jounin sighed and decided to fetch Inari. "I'll get him." It didn't take long for Kakashi to find the said boy. He was crouched over on the porch, sniffling and sobbing.

"May I join you?" Inari flinched when he felt a presence sneak up behind him. He looked up and saw the team's sensei: Hatake Kakashi. Inari nodded and scooted over for Kakashi to sit. "You know, they weren't trying to be mean to you. They just don't have that essence, you know what I mean? See, Naruto and Sakura both grew up without parents. Both were picked on when they were younger."

Inari blinked away his tears. Kakashi continued, "Naruto and Sakura used to be just like you. They used to take all the insults and just cry… But then, one day they decided to grow up and not cry anymore. People continue to treat them badly, especially Naruto, but they don't care. They take it all with their heads held high. I don't know about Sai and Sasuke, but something tells me that you four are all very similar."

Somehow, that had struck a chord inside Inari's mind. He looked up at the silver haired jounin, "Really?"

Kakashi nodded, "Let's get back in the house now." The boy nodded and took his hand as they entered the bridge builder's home.

* * *

Sakura yawned and arched her back, relishing the feel of her muscles stretching. It was morning and she was sent to guard Tazuna while he worked on the bridge.

"Hey," Tazuna said, "Where's blondie, darkie, other darkie, and your sensei?"

"Kakashi wanted to train them a little more," Sakura yawned, "Since they struggled a bit with the test. I passed with flying colors."

"I see," Tazuna didn't feel too comfortable with just a genin girl guarding him. Though he first handedly witnessed her strength against Zabuza, he had a feeling that Zabuza wasn't the only person she'd have to face.

Suddenly, a heavy fog drifted into the area. 'This isn't right…' Sakura narrowed her eyes.

'**_Sakura-chan,_**' Naiteki whispered, '**_Do you think it's-'_**

The demon was cut off as they heard a worker cry out in agony. The sickening sound of a dead body falling on the floor was heard. Sakura instantly sprang up and stood in front of Tazuna, kunai poised and ready to defend. Then, a lone figure started walking towards them. Sakura recognized him. 'Zabuza?' Wait- there was somebody else…

"The hunter nin?" Sakura said it out loud.

"Well, well," Zabuza sneered when they were close enough, "I see I'm up against only brat today. Pity. I wanted to see Kakashi again. Oh, and this hunter nin? Sorry to break it to you, but he works for me. His name's Haku- but I guess you won't need to remember that since you're going to die anyways."

Sakura growled and gripped the kunai tightly, her knuckles turning white. She was up against two high leveled jounins- and alone too. Fuck.

"GI'ICHI!" Tazuna hollered to a nearby worker, "QUICK, GO TO MY HOME AND GET THE OTHER NINJA!"

The worker nodded faintly, his jaw trembling in fear. His mind told him to obey Tazuna but his body stood glued to the spot. He saw Sakura narrowly duck a double assault from Haku and Zabuza, blocking both senbon and sword with one kunai.

"DO YOU WANT THAT GIRL TO DIE?" Tazuna shouted. He glanced worriedly at Sakura. She was holding them off well, but he wasn't sure how much longer she would last.

Gi'ichi shakily shook his head and turned on his heel, running towards the bridge builder's home. At first he tripped over his steps but soon managed an even sprint. His mind was still distracted by the fight. He had never seen anything so intense…

"Ah!" Sakura screamed and felt a senbon pierce her shoulder, narrowly missing a valuable nerve. She quickly pulled the needle out and leaped in the air just as Zabuza's sword swung at her legs. She jumped up and landed on top of the gigantic blade, running down its length with shuriken in hand. Once Sakura was close enough, she threw several shuriken that left deep gashes in Zabuza's shoulders and upper arms.

"Bitch!" he hollered and flipped his sword over as if to swat a fly. Sakura jumped up at the last moment and saw Haku aim at her.

"Shit!" she cursed and held her arms in front of her as a flurry of icicle shards flew her way. Sakura hissed as the cold arrows grazed her.

'**_Come on!_**' Naiteki ushered worriedly. She bit her lip and watched as Sakura pulled herself up, knees bracing in pain. Naiteki could only be brought out by emotional affliction, and not by free will like Shukaku. Before she was brought out by intense fear, and unless Sakura experienced another emotional explosion there was nothing Naiteki could do but watch.

Sakura was a strong girl on her own, with strength that hovered somewhere in the upper chuunin ranks. But she was up against two missing nin whose power was far from chuunin. Everything had a limit, and Sakura was just about to reach hers.

* * *

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. He scheduled a brief training session with his male students to give them one last checkup on their tree climbing skills. And so far, the only thing he's got to see them do was argue. "You know, this isn't exactly a good show of teamwork." The boys ignored him and continued to hurl insults at each other.

"Look at all the ramen fat you have," Sai snorted, "I mean you make Chouji look like Tsunade."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto snarled, "Well I'm not the one who's hell-bent on penis sizes."

"Just shut up," Sasuke growled, "The both of you are gay. End of discussion."

Sai and Naruto opened their mouths to retaliate but stopped when they heard something in the distance. Kakashi and Sasuke listened as well.

"HELP!" the voice of a middle aged man ricocheted through the forest. "HELP! SOMEBODY, COME QUICKLY! THE BRIDGE BUILDER IS IN DANGER!"

"What!" instantly, all four of the boys leapt to where the source of the voice was. There they saw a frantic looking man, scanning the area in despair. They went down and grabbed the man, "What did you say?"

"A-Are," Gi'ichi was shaken, "A-Are you the shinobi from Konoha?"

"We are," Kakashi said, "What's wrong?"

"W-We were working on the bridge when these two ninja appeared out of nowhere and attacked us. The girl sent to guard Tazuna-san was able to protect us and now she's facing off against Zabuza and Haku all by herself. Quick, you need to help her before she's killed!"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto gaped, "She's facing them _alone_?"

"What are we waiting for?" Sasuke shouted and sprinted off towards the bridge. Sai left too, followed by Kakashi and Naruto. Gi'ichi was taken aback at how fast the boys were, leaving him stumbling a bit from the after wind.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, '_Hang on. We're coming._'

* * *

'_I can't… hold out much longer…_' Sakura panted and ran at Zabuza, only to have Haku block her and shoot senbon at the girl. Sakura blocked all with her kunai, but Zabuza took advantage of her distracted state to kick her to the floor.

'**_Sakura!_**' the demon screamed as she watched her container barely avoid an ice missile.

Haku reappeared in front of her and swung a kick at her torso. Behind her, Zabuza aimed a punch towards the back of her head. Sakura feverishly wove her fingers in a replacement jutsu and turned into a log. Haku whirled around and shot several senbon behind him, nearly missing Sakura. She let out a yell and axe kicked him in the jaw. As he recoiled from the hit, Zabuza reappeared behind her and swung his sword at her backside, leaving a deep gash.

Sakura screamed out in agony and sank to the ground. Haku took this opportunity to summon up an ice jutsu that froze her legs to the bridge. '_Fuck!_' Sakura felt Zabuza and Haku advance on her on both sides. Concentrating chakra into her arms, she managed to blast the ice blocks away and roll out of the way just as the two mist nins closed in.

The pink haired genin panted and whispered a jutsu. "Kage no Bunshin!" Three more Sakura appeared and split up.

"You think this little trick will work on us?" Zabuza scoffed. "Haku, summon your ice mirrors."

"As you wish," he bowed. The boy performed a brief number of hand seals and instantly, a dome of ice mirrors materialized around them. Haku strode over to one and stepped in. The Sakura clones quirked their eyebrows. What was going on?

Naiteki flinched. She recognized those ice mirrors as a bloodline trait. Haku was no ordinary prodigy…

"Look in the mirrors," Zabuza smirked, "The clones don't have reflections."

'**_Kuso!_**' Naiteki tugged at her hair desperately, '**_He's right!_**'

Sakura's fears were confirmed when all three of them stared in the ice mirrors, finding that only the original remained. The other Sakuras disappeared since they had no use anymore. Well, there goes more chakra… wasted. Now that they had the real Sakura alone and cornered, Zabuza and Haku launched their attacks. The three exchanged a flurry of kicks and punches, with Sakura barely managing to dodge them all. She was able to squeeze a few hits here and there, but when Zabuza and Haku started breaking out the jutsus… she was basically screwed over.

'_I-I can't do it_,' Sakura panted, '_I'm so sorry Naiteki…_' She felt her knees buckle and sink to the cold, wooden floor. Haku took this chance to pin her here with ice missiles. Sakura didn't retaliate. She didn't have the strength anymore.

'**_SAKURA! DON'T DIE ON ME, WOMAN!_**' tears streamed down Naiteki's face.

The pink haired kunoichi smiled briefly and let a small whisper escape her blood stained lips, "I'm sorry for failing you, Tazuna-san." Upon hearing her words, the bridge builder shook. This was it, Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She relaxed against the ice missiles Haku pinned her down with and watched as Zabuza smirked and lifted his Kubikiri Houcho high above their heads. Sakura slowly closed her eyes, patiently waiting for the final blow to be delivered and slip her into that eternal slumber called death.

It never came.

_CLANG!_

The sound of metal clashing with metal rang through the air as Sakura felt someone knock off the ice missiles that pinned her to the ground. Two strong arms wrapped around her waist and scooped her up bridal style.

Viridian eyes snapped open. "What the-?" She saw who had picked her up, "Sai?" The artist nin held an emotionless smile on his face as he leapt out of the way. Sakura looked over to see who had blocked her attack: Sasuke.

The Uchiha held a kunai in front of him, successfully canceling out Zabuza's gigantic blade.

"More brats," Zabuza snarled, "And I was so close to killing that other bitch too."

"Shut up," Sasuke growled. For some reason, he seemed angrier than usual. He glanced quickly over his shoulder, "Sai! Get Sakura out of here!"

Sai didn't need to be told twice and tightened his grip on the weakened kunoichi. Sakura coughed up a spurt of blood and clung to his shirt. Sai quickly leapt to a safe side of the bridge and gently set her down, pulling out a vial of some sort while he was at it. He hunched over her and let his hands hover over her wounded body.

"S-Sai?" Sakura felt everything becoming fainter, "What are you doing?"

'**_Thank the lords they arrived in time._**'

He said nothing and popped open the vial. As soon as it was open, he gripped Sakura's chin and wordlessly slipped a few drops of the bitter liquid into her mouth. "I'm healing you." Sakura nodded understandingly. Sai focused his chakra and let it course through his body and towards his hands. Soon, a light aura had formed around his fingers and began to flow into Sakura, jumpstarting the healing process.

Inside of the girl, Naiteki was also working furiously to heal the numerous cuts and bruises, lending out her generous supply of chakra.

Once her condition watered down to a semi-stable state, Sai stood up. "We'll take it from here." Sakura nodded weakly and watched as he joined Sasuke in the fight against the two mist nins.

"Damn you!" Zabuza cursed and swung his sword around in a 360 degree circle, grazing the Uchiha's stomach. Sasuke winced and flung four shuriken at the jounin. As Zabuza lifted his enormous sword to block them, Sasuke reappeared behind him and launched a kick at his back. As his foot met the missing nin's neck, Zabuza melted into a puddle of water.

'_A clone_,' Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He suddenly felt someone appear behind him.

Zabuza.

"Surprise, surprise."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted as he caught sight of his female teammate lying on the floor. He arrived a bit later than Sasuke and Sai. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she panted, "Just go and help the others." Naruto nodded and obeyed.

Sai ran quicker and was about to throw a kunai at Zabuza when a certain masked boy cut him off half way.

"I'm sorry," Haku said, "But I cannot permit you to go any further."

"Bite me," Sai smiled and chucked the kunai intended for Zabuza at Haku instead. Haku caught it threw it back at him. Suddenly, a shuriken came flying out of nowhere and intercepted it before it could hit the artist. Naruto stepped up, "Glad to see me?"

"So the dickless wonder has arrived," Sai smirked.

Both boys gave out a war cry before heading at the missing nin.

Back with Zabuza and Sasuke, the missing ninja was about to raise his sword and rid the world of Sasuke Uchiha once and for all. He stopped when he felt the cold tip of a kunai against his neck.

"Let him go," Kakashi said with a deadly tone.

"Back on your feet, huh Kakashi?" Zabuza smirked, "Well you WON'T BE STANDING FOR LONG!" he roared and flipped his sword over so that it was swinging towards the copy ninja.

Kakashi grunted and held up a kunai against the gigantic blade, transferring some chakra so it wouldn't break against the Kubikiri Houcho. "Sasuke!" he ordered, "Go help Sai!"

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice as he abandoned his position with Zabuza and joined Sai and Naruto against Haku. Sai whipped out his scroll and painted a tiger on it. The feline came to life and assisted his master. Naruto flung several kunai at him while Sasuke wove his hands together in a jutsu. Haku put up an ice shield himself but Sasuke performed his clan's signature fireball technique, successfully melting the shield.

Sakura's lip trembled as she watched them fight. There was kick after kick, punch after punch, jutsus being thrown at each other like wildfire.

But there was something wrong.

She didn't know what, but something was missing.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a certain masked shinobi emerge from a mirror. Viridian eyes widened. So that's it! The boys weren't fighting Haku- they were fighting a decoy! A clone! The real Haku was behind them, and was pulling out a handful of senbon. He aimed at the unsuspecting boys, and then, much to Sakura's horror, he shot.

"NO!" Sakura screamed and sprinted towards the boys. Despite her weakened state, she urged her legs to move faster. She barged right through Haku's ice mirrors and leapt in front of all three of them, using her body as a shield. The senbon came quickly and embedded in her backside, striking several sensitive nerves. Sakura gasped in pain as a rivulet of blood escaped her lips.

"SAKURA!" the boys shouted and watched in horror as she took the blow for them. They saw her gasp in agony and cough up blood. Her eyes dulled and the weakened kunoichi felt her lithe form grow heavy. Sakura groaned and fell to the ground.

Naruto leapt up and caught her before she hit the floor, "Sakura-chan!"

"N-Naruto…" she whispered. She had just taken three men's worth of senbon. No normal person would be able to live through that. "P-Please… take care of everyone…"

"No!" Naruto held her tighter, "Don't say that! You're going to be okay!" Sakura smiled sympathetically at him. She turned her gaze to Sasuke and Sai. Was that…_worry_ on their faces? Sakura didn't have time to do anything else as she felt another jolt of pain rip through her frail body, coughing up more blood. Her breathing became ragged and fainter… so faint… until finally it was no more. Sakura gave one last smile before closing her eyes.

There was an anxious pause. Her hand fell limply to the ground. The Uzumaki boy froze when he could no longer feel a pulse.

"S-She's dead…" Naruto whispered and set her down. Tears welled up in those clear, azure eyes as he saw Sakura's peaceful expression.

Sasuke and Sai froze.

Inside Naruto's mind, Kyuubi was struggling against the seals that binded him so. His eyes flared up at the sight of Sakura death. Her death also meant the death of Inner Sakura. Kyuubi hissed and growled, thrashing against the binds. '**NAITEKI!**' he roared.

Suddenly, something inside of Naruto snapped. The boy roared and felt his eyes shift to a menacing golden red. He bared a set of newly formed fangs. The boy's chakra was so strong that you could actually see the red aura radiate from him.

Sasuke and Sai's faces darkened as their eyes narrowed, shoulders shaking with pure hatred. The kunai they held were gripped so tight that their fingers left dents in the metal dagger. The Uchiha's eyes flickered a deadly crimson as he grit his teeth. For once, Sai no longer had the smile on his face. Instead, it was replaced by the face of a cold blooded murderer.

Haku drew back slowly and armed himself with more senbon. '_What's happening?_' he thought, '_T-Their chakra levels… they're so high…_' Zabuza and Kakashi jerked their heads over as well to see what the source of that immense power was. '_Incredible…_'

"You killed her…" they whispered.

_You killed her…_

_He killed Sakura…_

"**_I'LL KILL YOU!_**" all three of them roared and ran at Haku, a murderous lust for blood gleaming on their faces.

* * *

Holy cow! That was a long chapter! Like super long! Wow… 15 pages, people! You'd better appreciate it! Just kidding (grin). Yeah, I know I left out a ton of details but oh well. I didn't feel like making 3 seperate chapters. But you guys all know what happens anyways, right? you know- Gato yelling at Zabuza and what not. Eh. Anyways, review now please! 


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